Labyrinth
by Jurei
Summary: Captured and imprisoned by the ruler of a mysterious island, Kagome is tossed into the Labyrinth for betrayal: a fate worse than death. For in the magical prison lurk dangerous creatures, traps, and the one known as the legendary Beast of the Labyrinth...
1. Into the Labyrinth

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. If I did, my name would be Rumiko Takahashi, and I would be worshipped by fans worldwide. Instead, I survive on pocky and the dream of one day owning Inuyasha (or the super-awesome manga drawing skills powerful enough to create a wonderful series like it).

Well, now that that's out of the way, on to the story!^^

Labyrinth

_~An Inuyasha fanfiction story presented by Jurei.~_

Chapter 1: _Into the Labyrinth…_

The dark-haired girl awoke slowly, dimly aware of the smoky scent of torches in her nostrils and the cold feeling of stone beneath her body. She lay, motionless, as her mind cleared at an agonizingly slow pace. No matter how dazed she was…there was something completely wrong with the picture.

Where was she?

Slowly she sat up, wincing in pain as the wounds covering her body re-opened. Where there were no open cuts, angry bruises stood out darkly against the usual pale cream colour of her skin. Even her hands, she could see in the dimly flickering light of the torches, were cut and bleeding. What had happened to her?

She couldn't remember a single thing.

Unheeding of her injuries, she dragged herself against one of the walls to the place where the shadows were deepest: exactly between two torches, where the pool of light of each faded away into darkness. Immediately after reaching the natural safety of the shadows, she hugged her knees tightly, fear evident on her face.

Something was wrong, and she couldn't even remember what had happened, let alone where she was. She was cut, bleeding, and bruised, for reasons she could not recall.

Worst of all, she was alone…

For the first time since regaining consciousness, she realized just how quiet it was. Other than the occasional splutter of a torch and her own ragged breathing, there wasn't a single sound to be heard. She strained her ears, hoping to catch the sound of voices, footsteps, or even the scratching of an animal.

Nothing.

She sighed, hiccupping as she struggled to keep from sobbing out loud. There wasn't a single living thing to be seen, or heard, or felt…she was on her own.

Yet above all this, one thought stood out in her mind above the others, except for the sharp stabbing pain.

Nanase Sango.

The name meant everything…though why it was so deathly important, she could not recall. Was there some reason for those two words to be emblazoned so strongly in her mind? All she knew was that it wasn't her own name…

What _was_ her name? Who was she?

She shook her head gently, trying to push the thought back. There were other things to worry about at the moment. Whatever the words meant, it could wait. Right now, all that mattered was discovering where she was, and why.

Carefully, she looked around to try and learn more about her surroundings. Through the smoky light, it became apparent that she was in a fairly wide corridor of some kind, illuminated at certain intervals by torches. The wrought iron sconces that held them looked old and stained by the black residue left by the flames, though it was difficult to tell from her present position. However, as her vision became more adjusted to the dim illumination, she caught sight of something that made her gasp.

Further down the corridor, light was visible, though it was somehow different from that of the torches. If she forces her vision enough, it could even look like a way out…

She scrambled to her feet before doubling over, clutching her stomach. Already she could see scarlet staining the material between her fingers. She would have to be more careful.

Using the wall as support, she cautiously made her way towards the light. Now that she was actually travelling towards it, she could tell that it was a lot further away than it had appeared at first. It was also becoming painfully apparent that she had lost too much blood already. She had only covered one quarter of the distance, and her vision was already beginning to blur…

She collapsed, breathing hard while desperately trying to keep herself upright against the wall. No…she _had_ to make it to the light!

Gathering what little of her strength remained, she struggled to her feet once again and continued to inch her way towards the end of the corridor. Inch by agonizing inch…her eyes were locked on the light. It was the only chance she had…someone could explain what was going on. Someone could help her…

Most of all, someone would be there.

She wouldn't be alone anymore.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The brighter light of the area outside was a harsh change from the flickering illumination of the torches, and the girl squeezed her eyes shut to shield them from the glare. It took her mind a while to register that what she gripped in her now cramped and dusty hands was iron instead of stone. However, as soon as she realized that she had reached the end of the seemingly eternal corridor, she was off again, tugging futilely at the metal grating with her bloodied fingers. The pain was ten times more excruciating than it had been before, but this and all other thoughts were lost in the frantic struggle to escape this confined and dreaded place.

Her attempts did nothing but further injure her hands. Desperately, she continued to alternately tug and pound against the wrought iron with her fists, sharp sobs of desperation wracking her slight frame. Through it all, she was surprised to hear a voice cutting through the otherwise silent corridor, sounding alien and harsh to her ears, until she realized that it was her own, rasping and dry with disuse.

"Please! Someone! Please!"

The plea was repeated over and over, almost like a mantra. However, there was no answering call from beyond the grate. Finally, she collapsed, beating her by now almost crimson fists against the ground as sobs wracked her body. Her shout became a moan.

"Please…someone…anyone…"

A sudden more cutting pain caused her to hiss sharply and rise to her knees, crying out as it came again. This time, it was accompanied by a voice…a harsh, cruel voice that almost made her wish for the endless silence again.

"Shut up! You filthy little wench!"

Again the sharp pain came, and she drew back from the grating as she realized that those on the other side were not going to help her. The long spear handle withdrew, still baring traces of her blood where it had brushed against her wounds. Her cloudy blue-gray eyes looked up at the two men leering down at her, meeting their cruel gaze with confusion and apprehension.

"You will shut up, or Naraku-sama will hear of this…" one threatened, his voice making her realize (disoriented state of mind) that it was not a light promise he made.

The other brandished the spear while flashing a dark grin. "Don't worry…your suffering won't last long in there, you know. Either you'll fall prey to some of the other Runners, or to something else…or the Beast himself!"

With this, he laughed cruelly, and his companion joined in. Their dark mirth echoed through the grate and into the passage, doubling back and hitting the girl full-force. She flinched, resisting the urge to cover her ears with her hands and using the remaining energy instead to throw herself at the grating. Her arm snaked through one of the gaps in the grating, clutching wildly at the tunic of the one holding the spear. "Please!" she cried desperately, the tears running down her cheeks mixing with the blood and turning red.

He managed to beat her hand back from him, but her voice continued in a high-pitched a feverish tone as she continued to clutch at the two through the metalwork. He cursed, while his companion looked more than a little apprehensive. Already the thump of footsteps could be heard above them, even if only faintly. The two's eyes met in silent agreement: they would have to risk it.

The dark-haired girl almost cried in relief when the grating swung open, running out into the brighter light outside. They were going to let her free! They were-

Her eyes widened in surprise and shock as she felt the powerful blow to the back of her head, her pupils dilating with pain and agony. She stopped, swaying slightly while the world swum crazily in her vision. She staggered before collapsing to the ground in a heap.

The one carrying the spear made a disgusted sound, wiping the shaft on her ragged dress to clean it of the bloodstains it now carried. She was powerless to stop him, fighting with all her might to keep the black mist that cloaked the corners of her vision from engulfing her mind completely. His companion let out a bitter chuckle.

"This must be that Kagome wench that they tossed in earlier... Bloody stubborn, I'd say…and stupid."

His companion sighed. "Not to mention dangerous," he said, straightening up, "Naraku-sama definitely wants her dead…"

The last thing Kagome knew before the blackness took her completely was that both men bent over her, grabbing one end of her body, while the soldier (by now, she assumed that he must be one) finished his thought with words that echoed through her mind.

"…Because no one gets tossed in the Labyrinth and lives."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When Kagome came to herself again, she was in a completely different area altogether. The roof, for one thing, was lost in the shadows, well out of reach of the meagre light offered by the few torches. These looked like they had been burning for ages, and their light was by far dimmer than that of the torches in the corridor. There was much more space, it seemed, but the walls also looked roughly hewn and primitively cast. She struggled to sit up, throwing out a hand to support herself. Pain lanced through the wounds she had forgotten, so much so that she almost didn't notice the little bag of sack-cloth that her fingers had found lying next to her.

As quickly as her body would allow, she tugged her find closer to her and attempted to untie the string that bound it closed. Her hands were in pure agony by the time the twine came free and the contents of the sack spilled onto the floor.

Tears came to her eyes at the sight. On the stone below lay one small flagon (no doubt holding water), a dry husk of bread, and two apples.

She was both thirst and famished, but the meagre contents of the sack were both a taunt and a grim symbol. To remind her what food tasted like, so that what she was missing would be clearly etched in her mind while she starved to death.

That or fell prey to other Runners, or the creatures that inhabited the darker corners of the Labyrinth.

Or, worst of all, the Beast of the Labyrinth.

She drew her knees up to her chest, wincing in pain as she remembered the wound on her stomach. The loneliness now was worse than before, and the silence deafening.

She was a Runner now, just like the countless others that had gone "mysteriously" disappearing over the years since Naraku had started to gain power. No one let out that they knew the fates of those deemed "traitors", though it was no secret where they went.

This was the Labyrinth. There was no escape.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Well, that's the end of chapter 1! ^^ More of a prologue, I guess, but I really didn't want to get into greater depth right away. If this didn't really make any sense to you, well…you're just weird! Jkjkjk…^^;;; It isn't really supposed to.

Kagome (just so that I don't have people asking in the reviews) still can't remember anything other than that her name is Kagome (last name is still blank in her mind), and about the Labyrinth…which she'd most probably like to forget. Knowing where she is enough to shake her up pretty badly! ^^ (heck, me too…*shudders* if you know what's in there…) This was written while listening to Metallica's stuff, mostly the albums "Load", "Re-Load", and "S&M". So…yeah, I blame the music! ^^ (actually, for the whole end part, I had "No Leaf Clover" on repeat and blaring through my low-battery Discman…man, I'm broke…^^;;;)

Ja ne minna, and PLEASE review! It means a lot to me…then I know whether or not to continue this or to just focus on my other fics instead (maybe I just better stick to CCS? ^^;;;). If you haven't already guessed, this is my first Inuyasha ficcy!^^ Well, that's all! ^^ Ja! 

~Jurei-chan^6


	2. At the Heart of the Maze

Arigato minna-san for all your reviews! ^^ I'm really REALLY happy that you guys actually like this, and want me to continue! *smiles*

I know that many of you were concerned that I was copying the story "Legend of the Labyrinth" (which I have begun to read now, and I heartily agree that it is worthy of defending! ^^), but I have never been a person to take someone else's work and pass it off as my own. If you can't write something that you're proud of on your own, what makes it any less of an effort on the part of the person being copied? *hisses at copycats* Thanks to Chris-san for clearing up the whole issue, and for giving her approval! ^^ Domo arigato gosaimashite! (_ _)*bows*

Anyways, to the story!

_Disclaimer:_ In my dreams…

Labyrinth

~An Inuyasha fanfiction story presented by Jurei~ 

Chapter 2: _At the Heart of the Maze_

Kagome didn't remember falling asleep. All she was aware of was waking at the sudden sharp sound that cut through the tomblike silence like a knife. Footsteps echoing through the wide corridor, reaching her ears with surprising clarity, though they seemed to become less audible at each passing moment.  
  


She came into complete alertness with a jerk, her eyes searching around her frantically for the source of the disturbance. Nothing moved in the stillness all about her, but the sound echoed unmistakably all around her. It was impossible to tell from which direction it came, as it bounced along the roughly hewn stone while shooting off in all directions. She drew a frantic breath into her lungs and winced.  
  


No matter how long she had slept (there was no way of knowing exactly how long that was, especially when the light never changed and there was no day or night to speak of), it had evidently not been long enough to allow her body to heal better than the scabbing on some of the more severe wounds. Her hand inched timidly down to examine the wound on her stomach, pulling back quickly when its touch was met by stinging pain. However, it was nowhere near as intense as it had been before.  
  


This realization was accompanied by the surprise of feeling unfamiliar material under her fingers, despite the minimal contact that they had experienced. She examined the wound again, this time making sure to avoid pressing on it in any way. Yes…there was no doubt that it had been bandaged.  
  


Tentatively, Kagome sat up and gazed with unconcealed shock and surprise at the cloth that bound her stomach, her palms, and a particularly nasty cut on her lower thigh, directly above the knee. She had been bandaged, most probably while dead to the world, but by whom?  
  


Almost more importantly, why?  
  


By now, the sound that had been her alarming wake-up call had all but faded into the silence that was the norm, even if not what was preferred. With a start, she also realized what it must have been: the mysterious healer (she assumed them to be a healer, seeing as the bandaging was done with incredible precision and expertise) who had attended to her more grievous wounds.  
  


Almost immediately, she was overcome with a great sense of guilt and remorse. Quite possibly, she had been found by one of the only beings retaining some humanity within the Labyrinth, and she had no idea which direction they had gone. She couldn't even thank them—  
  


Suddenly, she caught sight of the rough sacking cloth that contained her only food and water, lying opened beside her leg. Frantically, she scrambled onto her knees and gripped the rough material in her hands, tipping its contents out onto the floor like she had done before. This time, only one apple, half the crust of bread, and the water flask rolled out.  
  


Kagome gulped down the anger and despair that threatened to choke her. After what they had done, she supposed it was fair payment. After all, they had most probably just saved her from bleeding to death. However, her chances for survival were severely shortened now. She had been spared bleeding, only to perish by starvation.  
  


A small, bitter smile twitched at the corners of her mouth. She would almost have rather gone with bleeding to death.  
  


Laboriously, she struggled to her feet before dusting off her ragged dress skirts. It was a wasted effort, seeing as the threadbare cloth was already filthy and grimy beyond recognition. If she was to get back to Sango, whoever the owner of that name was, she supposed there was no use in just sitting around for the rest of her decreasing life.  
  


She tore two ragged strips from the skirt of her dress, using the frayed material to bind what remained of her food and water to her back like a makeshift haversack. Then, she roamed her eyes over both directions that the corridor offered, trying to decide which to take. Both were identical and offered no hint as to where they led.  
  


Resignedly, she stuck one of her least injured fingers in her parched mouth, allowing the little moisture there to coat the appendage before she held it up vertically. If she could possibly feel the flow of fresh air, it might lead her in the right direction…  
  


No such luck. The very air of the maze seemed to be ancient and dead as the prison itself.  
  


Kagome frowned, finally resorting to complete and total luck to solve the problem. She closed her eyes and span around slowly with one hand outstretched to keep herself from running into the wall. Finally, being as dizzy as she dared without making herself physically ill, she stopped and opened her eyes to stare down the shadowed passageway that lay before her.  
  


Her face hardened into a determined expression.  
  


It was time to start Running.  
  


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The passages seemed to pass before her in a blur: dark openings in the otherwise solid wall completely undistinguishable from each other. The flaming torches flickered as the still air moved for what seemed to be the first time in centuries, casting the shadowed cracks and crevices into deeper darkness.  
  


Kagome clutched a hand to her chest, her breath laboured. She walked, tight pain shooting through her calves with each stride. Her calve muscles ached painfully, as did her feet. Already she could feel blisters forming under the worn leather straps of her sandals, chafing the skin at each step.  
  


And the walls continued on, stretching into the darkness unendingly. For all that her surroundings changed, she could have been walking in circles. Around and around, never getting anywhere, to die eventually, alone in the dark…  
  


She shook her head. She wouldn't think like that. It would mean her captor had won…  
  


_Naraku_…the very thought made her grit her teeth subconsciously, her face displaying an expression of disgust. The name of the man responsible for her imprisonment...and the one who held Sango's fate, if the guards were to be believed. The very thought of him was enough to make her sick. Cruel monster that he was…he deserved to be thrown into his own game and made to die slowly…  
  


She would escape this place, if only to see his destruction.  
  


Being so deeply embedded in her thoughts, it took a while for the dark-haired girl to realize that the walls on either side of the passage she followed were beginning to hum and buzz with a strange power. Faintly, a strange purple-violet glow emanated from the stones, becoming stronger with each passing moment. The rough-hewn rock beneath her feet started to shake, the strength of the vibrations increasing with the volume of the humming corridor. The walls were beginning to move.  
  


Kagome froze as the waves of power coming off the walls passed through her, their magnitude making it difficult for her to breathe. Underfoot it was like the earth itself was coming alive; heaving, moving, and shifting like a beast straining against iron chains. The quaking jarred through her being, rattling her joints and causing her teeth to knock together painfully. The magic was heavy and oppressive now, weighing down on her limbs like a lead blanket. It was all she could do to keep from sinking to her knees under the pressure.  
  


Suddenly, a thought cut through her mind like a thunderbolt, almost as if someone had shouted directly into her ear.  
  


_Run_.  
  


Kagome wasted no time in complying, forcing her leaden limbs to obey her commands. With almost excruciating slowness, her body began to move, walking first, then trotting, and finally breaking into an all out run. Behind her, the floor stones themselves began to lift and arrange, each stone fitting itself into an empty space left by the others, the whole resembling what looked to be a low wall.  
  


However, the wall was growing with each passing moment, and the stones weren't only rising up from the stretch that she left behind. The newly made Runner ducked as a particularly low-flying stone whizzed overhead, missing her by inches. Her eyes widened in horror as the stones making up the passage below her feet began to shift as well, leaving her to see the deep trenches they left in their absence. She stopped herself short, skirting one such hole with as much speed as she could afford without pitching forward head-first into another trench to her left.  
  


Worst of all was the sudden roar that seemed to drown out that of the re-arranging floor, and which caused Kagome to look back quickly before turning her head forwards sharply and attempting to increase her speed. From far above on either side the already existing walls were beginning to cave into the passage, some of the blocks fitting themselves into the empty trenches while others seemed to be creating a new wall of their own. And they were gaining on her faster than she had expected…  
  


She put her foot forward, only to find air below it. A strangled cry escaped her lips as she fell, ending with a sharp jolt as she managed to grip onto the edge and halt her descent into the blackness of the pit. Her legs swung out, pulling one of her hands free, but she managed to hold on and bring her body back to rest against the side. It was rough beneath her touch and irritated the almost forgotten stomach wound, but Kagome didn't even notice. There was no time to waste, and she wasn't going to let herself die before at least making a decent effort to escape and stick Naraku's head on a pike.  
  


Desperately, she dragged her legs up, trying to grip the wall with her leather sandals and climb out. The task was made all the more difficult by the constant tremors that constantly threatened to shake her weakening grip loose, but she continued with an almost frenzied energy driving her every movement. Above her, the walls were already beginning to cave, stone after stone fitting into each empty trench. All too soon, the shadow of an incoming boulder was over her, speaking quite clearly of what fate awaited her; if she didn't hurry, she was going to be crushed!  
  


A sharp pain stabbing through her wrist caused Kagome to look up sharply, her teeth gritted in discomfort. Jaws were clamped around the bony appendage, their large white owner tugging on it with a surprising amount of force. She flinched as the creature jerked her wrist sharply once again, before she realized its intent and began to scramble at the walls of the pit with renewed desperation.  
  


Despite being able to use only one hand this time, the creature's efforts definitely made up for whatever use her other hand could have offered her, and she was clearing the edge of the trench and scrambling away on all fours sooner than she would have believed possible. Behind her, the boulder thudded home with a sickening thud and grating noise that seemed to her ears louder than all the other noises in the corridor. She struggled to her feet and forced her exhausted legs to resume their running, feeling almost sick with both relief and shock. One moment later and…she clamped a hand to her mouth, forcing herself to keep from retching.  
  


Up ahead, she could make out a thinning in the stones that filled the air, and she almost cried with relief. Beside her, the creature loped along at an easy pace that she would have envied had not the danger still been present. It seemed to effortlessly keep pace with her, almost as if it was merely humouring her by running at the fastest speed she could achieve. Already she could feel a small spark of annoyance ignite within her, though she squelched it immediately. Why feel something so ridiculous when the poor beast had no doubt risked its own life to save her? There were definitely better things to devote her attention to at the moment.  
  


'…Though it definitely doesn't make it easy to remember that,' Kagome thought sourly as it dodged a flying boulder with practiced ease, while she was forced to scramble aside ungracefully and almost lose her footing. The white-furred creature then turned its head to look at her with what she could almost have thought to be a patronizing smirk on a human. Why, it was like the beast was _taunting_ her!  
  


All these thoughts were cut short abruptly, however, when the ground directly in front of the two surged up suddenly and without warning. Kagome screamed, throwing out her hands to shield herself from the impact that seemed to be inevitable. The creature's reaction was immediate; it skidded to a halt, gripping the skirt of her dress in its jaws tightly before springing from its hind legs and pulling the girl away in a parallel direction to the wall. Kagome overbalanced, and the two went careening into the newly formed side passage, rolling over and over in a mass of fur, hair, arms, and legs as the corridor inclined steeply downwards before flattened out once again. Their advance seemed to continue for an age before the tangled ball finally came to a stop through the not-so-forgiving aid of another wall as it blocked further progress.  
  


Kagome groaned, waiting a full minute before attempting to unravel herself from the beast, who seemed to have been stunned by the impact. She sat up, rubbing her head tenderly before checking herself for more serious injury. Other than the place on her wrist where the creature had gripped her with its jaws, she seemed to be generally no more injured than before, for which she was grateful. No matter how helpful the beast had been, she doubted very much that it could tie bandages.  
  


She was suddenly alerted to the movements of the creature as it began to stir, bringing itself shakily to its legs before tossing its head back and forth sharply as if to clear it. Now that she could see it more clearly, she realized that it was a large white dog, an indefinite breed by the look of it, with triangular ears, a long brush of a tail, and a shaggy mid-length coat. She grinned sheepishly-almost condescendingly-at herself. _This_ was the type of creature that lived in the labyrinth? She had expected something altogether more terrifying, like a Red Dragon, a Skerrigor; or maybe even a Pantkhaera; creatures of which she had heard stories in her early childhood.  
  


"Konnichiwa, Inu-san," she said smilingly, feeling slightly foolish all the while for talking to a dog who, she assumed, couldn't understand a word of what she was saying.  
  


The dog fixed her with a half-interested eye, as if sizing her up. It then came closer and sniffed her carefully before nosing her hand, almost as if it was replying to her greeting.  
  


"Are you male?" she asked tactfully, though hardly expecting a reply.  
  


The dog nodded once, sitting himself down directly in front of the astonished girl. Almost immediately, she edged forward, fixing him with curious eyes. "You can understand me?" she asked, her voice clearly portraying the disbelief she felt.  
  


Again, the dog nodded.  
  


Kagome grinned, lifting a hand to scratch the dog's ears. He jerked away, body stiffening in reflex as he eyed her hand suspiciously.  
  


"Alright…" she said kindly, pulling her hand back though it still remained in the air, "If you do not want me to touch your ears, that is up to you."  
  


The dog sniffed at her warily, his eyes still fixed on her hand. Unusual eyes, she noted; unlike most other dog's eyes she had seen, this creature's were a deep violet colour. Furthermore, they held a strange intelligence that suggested something more than an animalistic mind...a fact she already suspected. After all, how many dogs had she known that could understand her, nevertheless answer back in legible ways? The girl found herself drawn into the deep, mysterious orbs, staring openly before she remembered exactly what she was doing, and noticed the dog giving her a bemused look.  
  


She blushed lightly before catching herself. He was just a dog, after all…why did she feel embarrassed? It wasn't as if he was judging her… 'Ah, but that is _exactly_what he seems to be doing…' she amended, meeting the dog's stare once again.  
  


He stared back, seemingly searching her eyes for something. Then, abruptly, he stood up once again and tossed his head at her twice, clearly portraying the message: _Come on, let's get going.__  
  
_

Kagome scrambled to her feet and dusted off her skirt before following the dog as he began to trot off. In here, one way was as good as another, she supposed, and the dog definitely seemed to know where he was going. 'More than me, in any case,' she thought to herself dryly, before picking up her pace and falling into step with the animal.  
  


After merely ten minutes of walking, the passage broke into a wider area that could almost have been a wide plain in the outside world…a world that seemed a far-off memory to the girl. She sighed wistfully…would she really ever get out of this hostile and unforgiving place?  
  


Her companion stopped, staring at her quizzically. She smiled in reply, waving away his unspoken question. "I am fine," she amended, "just…I suppose…a little‑"   
  


A sudden mental image shocked her into silence once again: a younger boy with hair as dark as her own and a carefree smile. Who could it be…and suddenly, the name came to her as easily as water flowing through loose fingers. _Souta__…_  
  


Tears, unbidden, came to her eyes, and Kagome was suddenly seized by the strongest urge to cry. How could she have forgotten her little brother…the one who relied on her to take care of him, feed him, and protect him? And here she was, in no position to do anything that could aid him in the slightest…would he be able to survive without her…?  
  


She gasped, hiccupping in the effort to stifle the droplets that looked to crawl down her cheeks. It was to no avail. Before she knew it, Kagome was sinking to the ground and burying her face in her knees, the sobs wracking her wasted figure violently as tears spilled openly from her smoky-gray eyes. Who was she fooling? She had barely made it out alive from the first trial that the labyrinth had presented…how was she supposed to find her way out and make it back to the sunlit world in any condition to protect her brother and get to Sango? It was improbable at the least. She was going to die, alone, in the dark, far from anything that had ever mattered to her‑  
  


A gentle lick on her cheek startled the girl into awareness of her surroundings once again. The dog stood close to her now, licking away at the tearstains that traced clean paths through the dirt that marred her once beautiful skin. She gave a small gasp of surprise, slightly shocked by the creature's sudden display of concern.  
  


He pulled back his head, giving her a look that crossed between guilt and shame, as if he was the one responsible for making her cry. She smiled, despite the tears that still crawled slowly across her features. "No…it is not your fault…_please_do not feel guilty," she implored, seeing the dog bow his white-furred head in what appeared to be sorrow, "I am the one at fault…for feeling sorry for myself. I must stop thinking about the impossibilities I face, and about being alone…"  
  


She stood up, wiping the last of her tears away fiercely with a firm hand. The dog once again resumed his detached distance, but not before nudging her gently with his wet nose and giving her a look that communicated one idea as clearly as if spoken, and with more conviction than words could ever express.  
  
__

I am here with you now…  
  
You are no longer alone.  
  


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Well, that's it for chapter 2! ^^…Man, that ending sucked! .* The dog does serve some major importance in this story, but I can't say anything right now! And don't worry, it isn't anything like the "Beauty and the Beast" syndrome, where the uncaring man gets turned into a creature until someone can learn to love him, yadda yadda yadda…this twist is inspired from my main source: the "Death Gate Cycle" novels by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. In fact, that is the main inspiration for this story, though it _is_ mixed with the ancient Greek myth of the Minotaur in some aspects.  
  


I know it took me a while to update, but I ended up revising most of the chapter and scrapping about half of it before I could get to a point where I was comfortable to start writing from. I also have a habit of writing to certain kinds of music in order to achieve a consistent mood in consecutive chapters, but my "S&M" CD was shanghaied halfway though the chapter! *cries* I had to rely on substitutes to finish the thing, mostly Metallica's "Ride the Lightning" and "…And Justice For All" albums, and Pink Floyd's "The Dark Side of the Moon", so I'm not sure if there's any kind of mood flow between the two chapters. Gomen ne! *bows* (_ _)  
  


If you actually care (which I highly doubt, but what the heck), this chapter was mostly written to the songs "To Live is to Die" (my newest favourite song), "Fade to Black", "One", and "The Call of the Ktulu" by Metallica; and "Brain Damage", Eclipse", and "Breath in the Air" by Pink Floyd.  
  


Well, that's all for now! ONEGAI REVIEW! It really REALLY makes my day, and lets me know what I'm completely screwing up on! -_-;;;;; Plus, it only takes a few minutes, and makes you a responsible reader! *smiles* Wai!^^   
  


Next chapter is: "Chapter 3: The First Gate"  
  


Ja ne till then!  
  


~Jurei-chan^6


	3. The First Gate

Hey there minna-san! ^^ Yep, I'm actually back with another chapter, though I offer my deepest apologies for making you all wait. In fact, I come bearing bad tidings…the delay will be even _longer_ until after June! *cries* I have exams coming up, and it's very unlikely that even my family will get to see me very often over the next few weeks. Also, I have a feeling that the last thing I'll want to see after all that writing is a computer screen begging me to start forcing my brain to work. *overworked brain turns to mush* Anyways, to answer Deptford Pink's question, I don't usually have too much time to write, but try my hardest to update as often as possible. However, my CCS readers have been waiting for an update since August of 2002…*sweatdrop*

Well, in any case, that's all the rambling I have to do for this chapter! (And what a lot of it there is….)

On to the story! …is what I'd like to say, but here's the obligatory disclaimer, which is one of those necessary evils in this world.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Therefore, life sucks.

Labyrinth

~An Inuyasha fanfiction story presented by Jurei~ 

Chapter 3: _The First Gate_

Shadows enveloped the room, warded away only by the flickering light of two torches. In the centre of the room stood a man, garbed in fine clothing that could be said to befit a king had the cloth not been dyed in hued of drab dark blues and blacks. Dark hair fanned out from a pale, fine-boned face, while hanging down the length of his back while giving him both a mysterious and aristocratic appearance.

In front of him, finely shaped fingers traced strange runes on the surface of what appeared to be glass but on closer inspection proved to be water held in a hemisphere made of stone. Besides the runes decorating the rim of the bowl on all sides, the vessel was otherwise plain and undecorated, betraying nothing of its true nature except for the faint glow of purple magic that spilled across the water's surface. The symbols continued to glow on the surface of the water even after his hand had moved on, giving off a strange fiery glow.

Upon the completion of the last symbol, the man leaned back and spoke the strange words etched on the mirror-like surface, his voice hissing through the quiet of the room like a shadow come to join its brethren.

SHOW ME. 

Immediately, the words blazed to life, the fire running along the surface of the water from symbol to symbol before the entire bowl seemed to contain nothing but flames. Then, beginning in the centre of the bowl, the flames peeled back to reveal the water once again, now frozen as a sheet of black ice and alight with shadowed images of roughly hewn stone corridors and flickering torches.

The labyrinth.

The man's lips curved into a slight smile that betrayed cruelty. His keen eyes darted over the images flickering across the surface of the water, the grin becoming slightly wider and crueler with each vision of suffering and anguish. With almost childlike amusement, he watched a pair of Runners fighting against one of the labyrinth's many creatures, though he could not be bothered with the name of the worthless things. With sadistic glee, he noted that the couple (he assumed the two to be husband and wife from the matching tribal tattoos that ornamented their bodies) had hidden a child out of the creature's sight, and were no doubt defending it with their lives. Useless fools…what did it matter if the child died now or later? For nothing else awaited those born in the labyrinth other than death.

The image flickered away like the flames that now burned lowly at the rims of the bowl, showing in its stead a group of lesser demons as they scrambled away from a wall shift, the slower ones being crushed by the re-arranging stones. Like ants from an anthill…what did it being human or demon mean in the labyrinth? Nothing really…the walls did not differentiate between either species when carrying out their periodical shifts. Both were game to the traps and savage fiends that frequented the never-ending corridors, passageways, open spaces, and gates of the prison, though demons were more likely to fight back for the first little while before realizing how futile struggling was.

Best of all to watch was the way that both species would turn on each other in the end, willing to kill and eat its fellows in order to survive. Giving his prisoners the sacks of scant provisions had been a stroke of genius; he dared to flatter himself. They truly helped sow the seeds of strife and chaos into the already desperate wretches that had dared to question his will.

An image appeared across the face of the back ice, and he froze it in place, a small frown making itself visible on his porcelain features. This was different…

His red eyes flickered keenly over the vision of a dark-haired girl and a large white dog standing at the entrance to one of the seemingly neverending corridors and passageways of the labyrinth, the floor stones of this particular one covered in pictograms. His frown deepened, and he caused the image to sharpen and enlarge itself until the two figures took up the entire sheet and faded into the still glowing edges. The frown became an all-out scowl.

Higurashi Kagome. That nuisance of a girl…he had to admit, she wasn't one to give up, and he both admired and cursed her for he stubbornness. Her continuing survival irked him…didn't she know it was futile? Though it seemed that she had somehow managed to survive his…tampering…with the wall shifts…

He cursed softly, the harsh sound echoing eerily throughout the room before being absorbed by the shadows. The walls had their own patterns and rhythms, and changing them demanded a great amount of effort and power. Now, he would be unable to try again until his powers were renewed, which would take a week at most. Not just the walls he had shifted had to be controlled, but every other wall in the labyrinth so that the entire structure didn't collapse in on itself, allow all his prisoners to escape. In fact, he would never have risked tampering if he did not believe the girl to be such a threat.

For Higurashi Kagome _was_ a threat, no matter which way you looked at it, and he would not feel completely at ease until the threat of her presence was completely erradicated. Until then, the White Miko would not give in to him…

Until then, he would be unable to abandon this cursed world.

The image began to move again with a flick of pale hand, and a spot of quick movement caught his eye. The frown became an all-out scowl as he beheld the strange white dog standing at the girl's side, it's head easily reaching up to her hip. What kind of creature was it…? By all laws within the labyrinth, it should be trying to tear her limb from limb, not standing beside her as a guard…

As a companion.

The gleaming red eyes studied the dog in a matter of moments, flickering from its large head to it's shaggy tail. This didn't look like one of his predators. In fact, there looked to be something off about the animal in general. What could it be…?

His eyes narrowed, glowing with an unearthly quality before widening in surprise as he saw the truth. His mouth then twisted into a small grin. Well…this was a development he had never foreseen…but if he was right, it was even more vital that he find a way to dispose of Higurashi Kagome. And he knew just how to go about it.

He smiled completely, sitting back from the scrying bowl while wondering why he hadn't thought of it sooner. Higurashi's existence had been a dangerous thorn in his side…it was time to use his strongest weapon within the labyrinth. It was the only way to ensure her distraction completely, and would most definitely be entertaining to watch.

Things were proving to be interesting indeed…

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Kagome sighed, staring out at the corridor as it twisted away from her into deeper darkness that gave no hints as to what lay beyond. The only things that differentiated this passageway from the countless others she and the dog had travelled through were the strange pictograms that stood etched on each individual floorstone. Though it was nice to break the monotony that began to set in after seeing almost identical corridors that seemed to wind in on themselves and go nowhere, she had the distinct impression that whatever the symbols represented, it could _not_ mean anything good for her.

After the re-arranging of the walls, she and the dog had encountered nothing unusual or even slightly dangerous past a few small creatures that the dog had dispatched with ease. It was almost enough to make her yawn and wish for some of the more interesting myths and creatures of the labyrinth, if only to make things interesting. In fact, if the only _real_ threat were shifting walls, Kagome calculated that one could actually survive for quite some time…providing they found water and food before they starved to death. _'If only stone were edible,'_ she thought to herself with a dry mental chuckle, _'we would never go hungry.'._

Stone…the thought made her shiver. If Inu hadn't been there to save her…

She looked down at the dog, who returned her look with one of cloaked impatience. She had started to call him Inu, for lack of something better. He, on the other hand, did not seem disturbed by having such an unoriginal name, but it made it very awkward for her when she spoke to him every once in a while, taking comfort in the sound of her own voice. He would usually fix her with a glance that clearly said _"Don't you ever shut up?"_, but she would continue to talk anyway. It seemed to keep her from losing her mind, and at least it seemed like the dog listened to her despite his obvious disinterest.

She remembered back to her attempt to find him a name, and frowned. She was still unused to the fact that the dog could understand her and even answer, but his reply puzzled her even more. He had actually _written_. How many dogs, even of the understanding, replying variety, could write? There was something strange going on here…

"So…how about Fluffy?" she asked, her creativity obviously beginning to run itself dry. 

_The dog grimaced (or at least appeared to) and shook his head. She sighed, rubbing at her eyes in frustration. "What am I supposed to call you, then? Somehow, 'Hey! –insert name here- doesn't appeal to me…"_

_She drifted off as the dog stood up from his place on the stones where they rested and began to sniff at the ground. Finally finding a patch that seemed to suit him, he pushed his nose closer to the ground and began to move his head carefully. Where his nose brushed the ground, a trail appeared in the dirt and dust. He soon finished, tugging her over by the hem of her ruined skirt._

_Kagome looked at him, flabbergasted. Traced clearly (albeit messily and childishly) was three letters._

_Inu__-_

"Well, Inu, how about some water?" she asked him graciously, taking the rough cloth strap from he shoulder and lowering the haversack to the floor. It was now disturbingly lighter, containing only half the crust of bread and part of the apple, already turning brown from contact with the air. Despite rationing, the water had gone quicker than she had expected it to…however, there _were_ two of them now…it was to be expected that supplies would go twice as quickly. She removes the flask, frowning at the empty swishing sound it made, reminding her of how little there really was left for them to drink.

The dog came closer, waiting for her to pour out his portion carefully into her cupped hands like she always did. She uncapped the flask, tilting it until a small amount of the precious liquid filled her palm. Inu then proceeded to lick her hand, drinking every drop of moisture and fixing her with a look that clearly communicated his disapproval with the amount he had received.

She ignored him, taking a small sip from the flask before capping it once again and putting it back in the sack. That was the last of the water; she then stood up and slung the pack into her shoulders once again, wincing as the cloth strips brushed against the bruises and scabbed injuries on her torso. She had long ago given up brushing her skirt, seeing as there was nothing that could save the ruined material now but the world's best seamstress, and even then it was questionable.

Inu was already walking slowly out into the cavern, his paws making no sound on the stone below them. It was like he drifted above the ground rather than walking, moving so silently that Kagome only knew he was with her by the vision of his large form against the dim light of the cavern. He stopped, turning his head back to her with an expression of great impatience.

'Where is _he_ so anxious to get to?' the girl wondered with a slight frown, but kept the thought to herself, touched at his consideration. The question was an interesting one: he never once seemed to be unsure of which direction to turn or walk, even when confronted with four or more paths to choose from.

They stepped into the passage together.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

On closer inspection, Kagome noticed that the once-mysterious pictograms were in fact rather primitive; they were not in any way magical or instrumental to the construction of the labyrinth, as she had feared. She could even step of the stones bearing them without any strange response from the prison: no flying spears, no gigantic boulder that rolled after them and threatened to crush them underneath. Nothing.

And yet the pictures bothered her. There had to be _some_ reason why someone would take the time to scrawl on the stone, no matter how meaningless the images seemed. For that was what several of them were…strange pictures of beasts and snakes, smaller two-legged creatures (which she assumed to be humans), and taller beings whom not all shared the same features, but all were larger than the human figures and not always so proportioned (youkai, she supposed). The images were coarse and childish, though obviously done purposefully, because they were carefully carved into the very stone, easily one half-inch deep.

  
The torchlight from the one end of the passageway faded before disappearing completely and leaving the companions in total darkness. Kagome felt out hesitantly, resting a hand on Inu's back as he led the way without faltering. Though how he managed she could not tell…either he could see in the dark, or he was following something completely different, something that she could neither feel, smell, see, hear, or sense.

They continued for what seemed to be an eternity before light suddenly surged back into the passage, leaving the girl slightly blinded with its suddenness. She squinted, lifting a hand to her eyes to block the flare and allow her vision to adjust, which was partly why she did not notice the difference at first.

It was also a good thing that the dog didn't seem to be susceptible to the same frailties as humans, because he was there to catch her by the back of her skirts and prevent her from tumbling head-first into the abyss below.

Kagome bit back a yelp, eyes widening as she beheld the extremely long drop to the dimly lit floorstones far below. Inu tugged harshly, pulling her back and away from the edge with enough force to cause her to fall to the floor. She quickly scrambled back, breathing hard as she sat sprawled on the floor, face frozen in shock. Her heart raced in her chest, thumping loud enough to alert the entire prison to her location. That had been _much_ too close for comfort….

The old adage _Be careful what you wish for, it might come true_ came to mind, but she ignored it as she shakily got to her knees, crawling forward slowly to peer over the edge of the immense pit.

Unlike her first brief glimpse had given her cause to believe, the large circular gap wasn't a simple pit with no purpose. Almost seventy five yards across, there seemed to be torches illuminating it every few yards down in neat rows that betrayed a greater design. She glanced around, noting the sloping ramp that ran from the platform on which the two of them stood, winding around the edges to a lower rim she could barely glimpse from where she knelt.

Already Inu was heading towards the ramp, giving her the smallest of glances before beginning to descend down to the next floor. She scrambled to her feet, slight irritation showing on her features. The creature had just saved her from certain death and it didn't even bother to see if she was actually alright?

She sighed, noting that she seemed to be doing so more than she had ever done before coming to the accursed place. Or was she…? There were still pieces missing to her memory…such as why the name Nanase Sango was so important…

Or why she was even in the labyrinth in the first place. What had she _actually_ done…?

She had reached the bottom of the ramp, and was just about to begin following the shadowed figure of Inu when she heared it. She paused, apprehension setting into the bottom of her stomach as the unmistakable clicking noise became louder. It could only mean…

Her fears were confirmed when Inu came charging back towards her, radiating urgency like she had never felt. Behind him she could hear the clicking noise, clearer now, and accompanied by a telltale buzzing sound.

In an instant she was running side-by-side with the large white mix-breed, almost matching him stride-for-bound as the clicking and buzzing became louder. Their pursuer was getting closer, and if it caught up, they were as dead.

Because a Skerrigor was following behind, and Skerrigor never give up their prey.

Inu's paws pounded the ground evenly with Kagome's feet, bounding only slightly ahead. His head hung low, eyes darting over the shadowed stones quickly and with incredible calculating intelligence. Then he saw what he was looking for, and he _whuffed_ lowly, causing Kagome to look up just in time to swing around the corner and into a seemingly nondescript passage while their insectoid pursuer overshot the entrance by several feet. Then they were running again, assorted body parts churning the ground as they increased their pace further, the clicking of the Skerrigor's scythe-like appendages chasing them on all too soon.

Even so, it was a shock when Kagome tripped, the accident being the only thing that managed to save her head from being severed from her shoulders. Even as she rolled away painfully she could still feel the chilling sensation of wind caused by the swift stroke of a scythe as it barely avoided her neck, as well as the small trickle of blood that followed. She ran on all fours for two strides, turning to face the creature as she struggled swiftly to her feet.

The gleaming black eyes flashed in the near darkness, reflecting back at her the fearful face that could only be her own. Its arm raised, accentuated by its outspread double wings as it aimed with surprising care. She moved then, narrowly avoiding the vertical slash aimed for her before she twisted and was off again, sprinting after Inu.

She found him moments later, waiting for her up ahead in a patch of deep shadow that almost swallowed him completely, white fur and all. They were off again in seconds, turning another corner and continuing to flee from the creature all-too-close behind.

  
A deeper crack in the stonework of the floor caused Kagome to stumble again, this time sprawling a full ten feet before rolling to a stop against one of the uncomfortably solid walls. She groaned, attempting to stand up before wincing in pain and collapsing back down. Pain stabbed through her ankle in protest; it was most definitely sprained at the very least.

The dim torch flickered at the Skerrigor's rapid arrival, shadows swimming over the armour-like shell that encased the creature's body, giving it the impression of polished metal. It loomed over the girl like a monolith, insectoid eyes glittering maliciously at the prospect of helpless prey.

There was little wonder, then, that it didn't notice the large white dog until the animal was flying towards it, jaws open, front paws outstretched. Inu struck the Skerrigor like a streak of lightning, long canine teeth tearing at the armour unsuccessfully before snapping themselves into the gauze-like wings and twisting back.

The Skerrigor screamed, an inhuman sound more like metal grating on metal than an actual cry, before rearing back and flinging the dog from its back with a mighty heave. Inu flew through the air before colliding with the wall, much too quickly for his astounding reflexes to allow him to stop himself. He crumpled, sliding to the floor with a thump and a yelp before lying completely still.

Kagome stared at her companion's still form, tears shimmering at the corner of her eyes. Above her, the Skerrigor turned its attention back to her, its ruined wing hanging limply down by its side. The girl didn't seem to notice, gray-blue eyes still fastened on the white-furred heap feet away from her, one word echoing through her mind. _'Inu…'_

  
Above the insect raised both scythe-like arms, previously black eyes shining with something akin to a red bloodlust. The creatures had ruined its body…this one would die for the loss…the arms began to descend swiftly, keen sharp edges ready to taste blood.

"INU!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The heart-wrenching cry echoed through the corridors, magnified by the empty spaces between stone walls until it became a deafening roar. White light flashed, blindingly bright. Then…silence.

The light was gone, and with it, the Skerrigor. Kagome stared, both wide-eyed with horror and surprise as her outstretched hand dropped to her side heavily. Her chest heaved up and down as she fought to regain her breath. _'What in the world…?'_

Movement caught her eye, and she turned her head quickly, but it was only Inu, struggling to his feet from his prone position at the base of the wall. She hurried to him, watching anxiously as he rose to his paws. She started forward to check him for injury but he flinched away, ducking out of reach of her hand. His violet eyes fastened on hers, clearly projecting the slightly frustrated and angry message _"I'm fine. I can take care of myself."_

The girl sighed, getting to her own feet dispiritedly. Inu still didn't trust her very far past providing food and water…it was a strange kind of relationship they shared. Travelling companions who shared the same supplies and route…he was even willing to risk his life to save her, but flinched at her slightest touch. There was something exceedingly disturbing about the dog on a whole, but what it could be was beyond her. And he didn't seem very inclined to let her know what it was.

The white mix-breed slunk ahead, walking in and out of shadows as the two followed the passageway forward. Even with the slightly unexpected detour, the animal seemed to know _exactly_ where he was going…

Except now, so could she. It was faint, but a strange tingling feeling tickled the edge of her mind, almost pulling her in the direction that they were walking. There was something up ahead…something magical in nature that called to her as seductively as a siren's song.

Twenty minutes of walking later the corridor straightened abruptly, and Kagome gasped sharply as the source of the attraction became visible, causing her to stop in awe.

Before them stood an immense gateway, red-tinged stones pulsing gently with faint magic that felt neither threatening nor welcoming, merely neutral. The top of the arch stretched into darkness high above, invisible to the human eye. However, most welcoming of all was the sight of the small rock pool that stood to one side of the gate, surface still and smooth as a sheet of glass.

Water… 

The Runner charged forward, falling to her knees at the edge of the pool before scooping up a handful of the life-giving substance. She then raised the hand to her lips, ready to gulp down its contents before she stopped, letting the liquid run back into the pond.

  
The situation screamed _"trap"_ louder than her cry earlier had been. For all she knew, the water could be poisoned, or cursed…

Or worse, constructed of raw magic.

But if it wasn't a trap, this wasn't an opportunity she could afford to pass up.

Finally, it was Inu who decided the matter for her, the large dog standing next to her as he dropped his head and lapped eagerly at the water. She stiffened, almost expecting him to drop dead of evaporate into nothingness. However, when several moments passed and nothing occurred, she raised her own moist hand to her lips and tasted it gingerly with the tip of her tongue.

It was water, pure and sweet (which was surprising, considering how long it must have been sitting stagnant in the pond) with no metallic taste of magic or poison. She giggled happily for the first time since entering the labyrinth, cupping her hands full of the substance and drinking deeply. The liquid ran down her throat, tasting sweeter than anything she could ever remember consuming in her life.

She drank two more handfuls before removing the flask from he pack and dipping it into the pool, filling it to the brim. Until they moved on, they could survive on the water from the pool, but afterwards, who knew when they would stumble on another source like this? They had to be prepared.

  
Inu returned, paws padding silently as he walked to her side, surprising her. She hadn't even noticed him leave in the first place. _'Where did he slip off to?'_ she wondered, but dismissed the thought when she noticed what he carried in his mouth. A small animal of some kind, though what it had been in life she could not even venture to guess. How he had managed to find it was a mystery to her; for her entire stay in the labyrinth, she had never noticed anything of that size running about. That is, until she remembered the old law _"Things live by where there is water"_, though this did not hold true for plants and trees, unfortunately, seeing as the ground was made completely of stone. It was already skinned (which both puzzled and relieved her) and cleaned, though without kindling they would have to eat it raw.

She shuddered. Raw meat was not a very attractive prospect, though with nothing else to eat other than the little bit of apple and bread in her pack, she knew there was no other choice. What remained in the provisions sack would have to last until the next time they could find something to eat, which would most likely be some time away.

The experience was not something she wished to repeat often, though she had to admit she felt better with something in her stomach more substantial than stale breadcrumbs. She sighed contentedly before yawning widely, the action surprising her slightly. It did make sense, however…she and Inu had both been through quite a lot, and it had most definitely been long hours since she had last slept. She stretched, looking around for somewhere to make herself comfortable. She was as safe here as anywhere, she supposed…as long as the walls didn't shift while she slept, she would most likely live until she awoke, at least.

Inu stood nearby, standing watch as the girl settled herself for sleep. _'Maybe I should offer to sit the first watch,' _she thought, about to venture the suggestion aloud. After all, she had suffered less injury in the fight with the Skerrigor…it was only fair.

She pushed herself up, about to peak, when Inu fixed her with one violet eye, and a look that clearly said _"Sleep. Don't even _think_ about it."_ She sighed in reply, laying herself back down with the intent to stay awake for a moment at least, to make sure that Inu was alright on his own…

Kagome was asleep even before her head managed to comfortably pillow itself in her arms and her legs completely curled themselves against her chest.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Blood stained the walls and floor, spreading crimson across the shadowed stones. Bodies lay haphazardly across the corridor, most mutilated beyond recognition. Death permeated the air, leaving an acrid odour in place of the usual staleness and dust. The torches hung in their wrought-iron brackets, extinguished completely.

The creature crouched near one of the many bodies, bent over the corpse as it drank from the open neck wound, the blood trickling sluggishly from the ugly incision, proving that its death had not occurred very long ago. A tiny dribble of blood escaped from one of the corners of the creature's fanged mouth, almost unnoticed as it continued to feed.

Suddenly, its head snapped up as it felt something that it hadn't felt in fifty years…distant, yet approaching slowly. Its red eyes widened as it straightened, licking the blood from the corner of its mouth and fangs. So long ago…yet the taste of the air was unmistakable.

Miko magic, and…something else…

The creature broke into a bound, bloodstained claws leaving deep scratches in the floor- and wallstones. Something was headed towards the First Gate.

Shikon no Tama…

  
It licked some of the drying blood from its claws in anticipation. It was getting closer…

And with it, that cursed Miko...

Kikyo… 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Yes, I'm sorry for giving it such a bad ending…*sighs* I really wanted to finish it tonight, and made that final push to get everything written out so that I could upload it. Usually, I like to edit chapters a bit more than this, but I hope I didn't make any really bad mistakes…if I did, please let me know, and I'll fix them up. Hopefully the delay between this chapter and the next one won't be as long, but I'm thinking it will be, just because of exams, etc. Anyway, thanks for reading, and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! It really only takes a minute of your time, and makes you a responsible reader!^^ What else could you want in life? (Lia Strife: Lots of things, Ju-chan…lots of things…-_-;;;)

Once again, (not like you really care -_-;) here's the Soundtrack for the chapter:

"Master of Puppets" album by Metallica

  
"Ride the Lightning" album by Metallica

"Physical Graffiti" album by Led Zeppelin

"We're a Happy Family: A Tribute to the Ramones" album by various artists.

Well, that's all for this installment! Next chapter is "Chapter 4: One…", though exactly _who _it applies to is something you'll have to wait to find out!^^

Ja ne minna-san! *bows* (_ _)

~Jurei-chan^6


	4. One

Konnyanyachiwa, minna-san!^^ Here's the fourth chapter…and hopefully, it won't be too long of a wait between this one and the fifth now that I'm off for summer break. I also partly blame the release of the fifth Harry Potter book…for the two-three days in which I struggled to finish it while keeping it out of reach of my brother, I really wasn't able to do much else…those books are addictive! -_-;;; (We should have bought two copies). After this came the purchase of Kingdom Hearts, which is (unfortunately) a very addictive game, and which has zapped several hours of my free time…^^;;;

Arigato for all the reviews!^^ I'm happy that you all like the story, and I'll try very very hard to update as quickly as I can. (Hopefully none of my CCS readers are reading this, because they'll kill me for not updating for _them_ super-duper fast…writer's block is evil! .). To Jade-Inu: ummm, nope, this ISN'T going to be Sess/Kag, mainly cause I'm a HUGE Inu/Kag supporter. Sess/Kag would actually be a good coupling if Inuyasha didn't exist…but as long as he remains in the story (and he _is_ my favourite character, so I won't be killing him off ^^), Sesshoumaru won't even be making an appearance…or he will (I haven't decided yet -_-;;;)

Disclaimer: Maybe once my plans to take over the world succeed, but not while they're only on the drawing board (i.e. now).

Now, without further ado, I am pleased to present the next installment of the story!

Labyrinth

_~An Inuyasha fanfiction story presented by Jurei~_

Chapter Four: One…

_It licked some of the drying blood from its claws in anticipation. It was getting closer…_

_And with it, that cursed Miko..._

Kikyo… 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The shadows shifted suddenly as a phantom breeze caused the torches to flicker.

From his position in the centre of the room, Naraku's features twitched as a drop of oil flew from its torch and splattered upon his cheek, hissing as it left a red blemish in its place. As quickly as it had come, the breeze was gone, leaving the impression that it had never been in the first place.

One of the pale, fine-boned hands lifted, the fingers tracing gently over the burn. The cruel mouth twitched into a half-frown. He would have to remember to have glowstones installed as lighting soon; they did not waver and lasted much longer, though he really did like the shadowy effect given by the torches.

His attention returned to the stone Scrying Basin before him, the edges still rimmed by a ring of flames, though they burned lowly; more of a flicker than anything. Unlike their natural brethren, however, these had not been affected in the slightest by the breeze.

Across the black surface encased by the flames was a corridor strewn with shadowed figures that lay sprawled on the bloodstained floorstones. There were roughly thirty in all; he assumed them to be some random human tribe, though it was too dark to see their tattoos. However, even the darkness was not enough to keep him from seeing the large figure hunched over one of the corpses, its eyes gleaming red with bloodlust.

The aristocratic face remained smooth, though the eyebrows bunched together slightly in concentration. The breeze was back, this time swirling around the bowl as the fine-boned fingers traced one symbol in the middle of the black ice surface. It remained there, even after the hand lifted itself away, glowing brightly for a moment before sinking through the ice and taking the breeze with it.

Naraku smirked.

Now all that was left was to sit back and watch the fun. He straightened, crimson eyes following the figure as it tensed, clearly tasting the Miko magic the moving air carried to its nose. He then watched it as it bounded away, claws scoring the stone of the labyrinth floor as it headed in a direct path towards the First Gate.

Inwardly, he wondered at the truly minimal effort the destruction of his most dangerous captive truly demanded on his part, frowning at the large amount of energy he had wasted thus far. He greatly doubted that even the strange white dog that accompanied the girl would be a match for the Beast. None that had ever faced it directly had escaped, though he, Naraku, had done his part to make sure that _some _rumours (mostly the worst ones) made their way to the general populace in order to increase the people's fear of the labyrinth…and his own dark power.

Some of his most dangerous enemies had died at the hands of the Beast. Except for that strange matter fifteen years ago with the original White Miko (he scowled at the memory of both her and her damned prophecy), none had lived long enough to even scream. Spears, arrows, spells…all had had no effect on the fearsome bezerker-youkai.

After all, the very part of the creature that caused it to feel pain or emotion was gone, coupled with an incredible ability to heal faster than any other youkai on the entire island. This, of course, also meant that Naraku himself was incapable of controlling it like he did the others and was reduced to handling the thing like it was a very delicate bomb with minor intelligence. He would give covert suggestions towards what he wanted, letting the creature believe that it was all its idea in the first place.

Just has he had done now…by providing the breeze that carried Kagome's aura and scent to the thing's nose, and relying on its violent nature, hunger for revenge, and yearning for the power that ran through the girl's veins.

He, Naraku, had sensed it before throwing her into the labyrinth…an innate power that slept within her blood. His expression became one of the blackest anger. There was no way of knowing just how much lay dormant inside the girl, which made her all the more dangerous to him…she _could not_ be allowed to wake it!

He frowned, staring down at the shattered image contained within the Scrying Basin before waving a careless hand at it, whereupon it the pieces melded together again. He would have to keep his temper better than that unless he wished to delay his recovery to full strength by having to cast more repairing spells; it was always a greater drain on him to heal destruction than to cause it.

A small sigh escaped his lips, the sound swallowed eagerly by the darkness around him, before he turned his eyes back to the image with a grin that looked oddly out-of-place on his features. Soon, though, all his worries would become nonexistent, and he would be free to question the White Miko, Nanase Sango, to his heart's content. What he had been seeking for fifteen years would be at his very fingertips, closer than ever before. With Kagome dead, there would be none left to physically oppose him on the island (none that mattered, anyway), though the White Miko might try for a while, and he would _finally_ be free…

The world wouldn't stand a chance.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Inu stiffened, nose probing at the still air surrounding the Gate. He could feel it…a dark presence approaching at a fast speed, though it would still be a while before it reached the doorway itself.

And with the First Gate, Kagome…

A growl escaped his throat, though it was too quiet to alert the sleeping girl. The presence was heading in a surprisingly direct course, meaning that it was moving towards them with a definite purpose.

A purpose which most likely included killing them.

Surprisingly, this knowledge didn't seem to faze the dog much, and he padded over to the arch of the gate, sniffing at the air. However, the air was too still…too dead. He couldn't tell what it was exactly that moved towards them so deliberately, though it had the most stained presence he had ever felt. Almost like it had killed countless times for the pure joy of killing.

Inu's hackles rose as his shoulders hunched low and a much louder growl reverberated in his chest. Whatever it was, it wasn't going to get by on _his_ watch.

He risked a small glance towards the small huddled form on the floor behind him. He would have to be careful when the time came…otherwise she might get hurt…

He huffed at himself. He had to be getting soft…after all, she was just another human girl. Though his nature demanded he act as companion towards _something_, why this girl…? Once again, the question that had tickled at his mind when he had first saved her came to the forefront of his thoughts.

It wasn't as if she was special in comparison to other humans (youkai did not need or want his companionship, and the creatures of the labyrinth were his sworn enemies), though he _had_ felt a small amount of Miko power flowing through her…no, there had to be another reason. Maybe he pitied her?

Yes, that had to be it, the dog assured himself as he spared the girl a final glance before turning back to face the Gate. That could be the only reason that would make sense…as well as explain why he had curled up next to her during his time of rest. She had been shivering and looking thoroughly pathetic. That was all…

His purple eyes narrowed and his body sunk closer to the floor, ready to spring.

It was here…a mere fifty yards, and closing…

And with it came a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach…something he had never felt before, except for in one instance which flitted at the edge of his memory…

No time. Twenty yards…

Fifteen…

Ten…

The growl became louder until it filled the area, rebounding off the wall stones to echo through the air, filling it with sound.

Five…

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Kagome jerked into wakefulness, her muscles aching dimly from her flight the previous cycle, as well as having slept on cold stone. Her fingers scrabbled anxiously at the ground before coming into contact with her ration backpack.

She started at the sight of something in front of her, her still-clarifying brain struggling to catch up with the present turn of events, before she realized that it was large and the shape of a crouching dog.

A large dog-shaped figure with white fur…

He was all right then…she breathed a sigh of relief. The dream that had occupied her sleeping moments was just that: a dream. There wasn't some terrifying creature coming towards them with one thing in mind: kill. They were safe for now…

Scratch that last bit. She could feel it now…the dark, heavy aura pushing down on her, making her feel like some gigantic block of stone was crushing her into the ground. In front of her, Inu sunk lower into his attacking stance, his large white head facing the Gate.

Mere moments later, a dark form burst through the shadows of the Gate, breaking through the thin layer of magic that stretched from one side to the other as easily as if it were paper. It flew past the duo before turning its body around to face them, skidding to a crouching stop with the aid of one clawed hand, a loud snarling sound coming from its throat.

Kagome stared in terrified awe at the five deep scratches embedded in the floorstones, ending at the creature's hand where he crouched eighteen feet away. They had scored the stone's surface so easily…

Her gaze travelled up from the clawed hand to the creature's face, eyes hidden by uneven bangs of white-silver hair. It was naked from the torso up, though it wore a ragged red-coloured pair of hakama that covered everything except its feet (for which she was thoroughly relieved).

Humanoid feet…her expression became puzzled. In fact, it looked startlingly human for a creature with such a dark aura. From its well-muscled chest (had this been any other situation, she would have blushed) she could tell it was male, though the stains of crimson splattered across it at various intervals did much to deter her from studying it further, and compelled her instead to find a corner in which to be sick.

It was most definitely blood…and most definitely quite fresh.

And from the huge and immensely dark, bloodied aura coming off the thing in waves, what faced them was most definitely the legendary Beast of the Labyrinth.

Its head snapped up suddenly, exposing crimson eyes set in a wild and snarling face to her horrified gaze. Then, it lunged, clawed hand raised in the air as if to cleave her in half.

For a moment, it looked like it would fall short of her. Then, however, it completed the swiping motion, claws outstretched to form five evenly spaced arcs.

She threw herself to one side, avoiding the worst of the attack, though new blood could already be seen staining her forearm, the old bandages falling to the floor where the Beast's youki had sliced them in two. She hissed, cradling the injury as she turned to face the creature once again, expression a mix of fear and anger.

It eyed her hungrily before lunging at her again, claws at the ready. However, this time, it collided with another form in mid air and came crashing to the ground, rolling away and to its feet with an angry snarl.

Inu skidded to a halt in front of Kagome, form hunched low in preparation for another leap. His fur stood on end, bristling along his shoulders, while his mouth pulled back to reveal sharp pointed teeth.

The two creatures faced each other, neither moving an inch. Then, the Beast smirked, revealing its own sharp eyeteeth, before straightening up to its full height. It cracked the knuckles of its right hand in preparation, a feral grin on its features.

Then it moved. At the same time, Inu leapt, paws outstretched in front of him, teeth bared in a snarl. Kagome watched in awe as both were lost to sight, their movements a blur to her eyes, before they came together in a mighty collision of teeth, claws, and silver-white hair. Snarls, growls, and howls emanated from the fray, filling the corridor with their primal sound. Then the two leapt away from each other, landing roughly eighteen feet apart, each in a growling crouch.

The girl resisted the urge to run over to her companion, knowing full well that doing so would only put him at a disadvantage. The Beast seemed very unlikely to wait patiently while she checked to see if the dog was all right, and much more likely to use the oppertunity to kill them both. From where she stood, however, she could see a few minor cuts on the dog's sinewy body, staining parts of the white fur crimson.

Across from him, however, it was evident that the Beast harboured several of these wounds as well, meaning that both creatures were evenly matched. What she found disconcerting was the fact that Inu bore these injuries like they were a minor discomfort, while the Beast seemed completely unaware that its body had been marked in any way.

The two opponents charged again, colliding with each other in mid-air. This time, the bout lasted longer, each creature trying to break through the other's defenses and score a serious blow. Small flecks of blood flew from their savage forms, ignored in the face of the mortal battle being fought. Savage bites, scratches, claw wounds…all were blocked or borne without hesitation. Scarlet met indigo, both sets of eyes locked on the other, glowing with bloodlust and the light of battle.

This time, when the two separated, chests heaving in exertion and forms tense with adrenaline, they bore more visibly the fruits of their bout. Both bodies displayed long bloodied scratches and bite wounds, the crimson liquid mixing with saliva and perspiration (on the part of the Beast, seeing as dogs don't sweat). This time, it was also obvious that Inu was losing his ground; the pain and exertion could be seen not only in his stance but in the way he held his weight off his right front paw as if to accommodate an internal injury. The Beast's right hand also bore traces of serious injury, though it seemed completely unaware of this hindrance, features still creased in a bloodthirsty grin.

And in a moment, Kagome knew why. The creature straightened, tearing at it's own wounds while the first words to come from its lips hissed through the dead air.

"_Hijin Ketsusou!_"

Inu was caught by surprise, flying back as the claws of blood impacted his body with incredible force. This time, Kagome did run to him, her arms stretching out to catch his airborne body and break his fall. She was, however, taken by surprise by the sheer weight of the dog, and the two then rolled to a stop five yards back, the girl shielding him with her body.

Neither Kagome, Inu, nor the Beast moved for a moment. Then, the great white dog struggled to his feet, grimacing in pain before trying to wipe some of the blood from his eyes on the fur of his foreleg. The white hair was smudged an almost pink colour in both places, though the muzzle retained a darker colour where the blood from Kagome's own wound had mingled with his own. He growled, louder and more menacingly than ever before, his indigo eyes narrowed to mere slits.

Then he leapt at the Beast, moving so quickly that he seemed to disappear for a moment before making contact with the creature's shoulder, teeth ripping at the skin with a savage ferocity. The Beast seemed to be in shock, scarlet eyes wide with surprise, before it howled in pain for the first time.

Then the two figures were engulfed in a flash of white light identical to the one that had destroyed the Skerrigor, and were lost to sight completely.

Kagome covered her eyed, her arms thrown over her face and head in an attempt to shield herself from the violent wind that accompanied the flash this time. The air that had been so still and dead mere moments before was suddenly moving with the ferocity of a typhoon, ripping at her skirts and rags so strongly she felt that they would be torn from her body any moment. Her hair whipped around her head, resembling a candle flame as it flowed first one way and then another at the mercy of the wind's fury.

It seemed like Kagome was forced to lie immobile in the gale for an eternity before the winds died off as quickly as they had begun. The blinding light was gone as well, making the corridor that much darker by comparison. The girl struggled to her elbows, staring around at the walls for a dazed moment before she scrambled to her feet, rushing forward with no thought to her own safety, concern for Inu consuming her thoughts completely...

"Inu! Inu! …Are you all right? Inu-"

…Before she came to a stop, mouth open in complete and total shock at what she saw before her.

No…that was impossible…it couldn't be…

The figure stirred, groaning as it reached a tentative and to its head and hissing in pain at the wound its fingers encountered. Long, clawed fingers…though the talons weren't as long and pointed as the Beast's had been.

Kagome swallowed several times, struggling for a good moment before the words finally managed to leave her dry mouth.

"…I-Inu…?"

Dog ears twitched through long silver-white hair, turning in her direction accompanied by a pair of shocking amber-yellow eyes.

"What's with _you_, bitch? I'm not a damn dog; my name is Inuyasha."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

…And cut! That's a wrap!^^ It isn't exactly quite how I pictured it originally, but I couldn't phrase it exactly right…-_-;;;; I know you are going to want to kill me, but I really couldn't think of a better place to end the chapter. Also, I thought you might actually want an update sooner than later, though it's already been more than a month since I last submitted something. I know some of you are probably going to be utterly and completely confused about what happened, but I promise that an explanation will come soon enough, even if it has to come in the form of an author's note in the next chapter, rather than in the actual story.

Anyways, those of you who don't give a rat's furry behind (most of you) can now close their eyes and scroll past this bit here. The Soundtrack for this chapter is:

"Fallen" CD by Evanescence (man, I LOVE their stuff!^^), especially the songs "Everybody's Fool", "Going Under", "Haunted", "Tourniquet", and "Whisper".

"St. Anger" CD by Metallica (would this story really be the same without the music of the mightiest metal band in the world? ^^;;;), especially the songs "Some Kinda Monster" (awesome for writing the part of the Beast!^^), "Sweet Amber", "The Unnamed Feeling", "Dirty Window", and "All Within My Hands".

"Ride the Lightning" CD by Metallica, especially the songs "Fade to Black", "For Whom the Bell Tolls", and "The Call of the Ktulu".

"Hybrid Theory" CD by Linkin Park, especially the songs "Forgotten", "Cure for the Itch", and "Papercut".

"Meteora" CD by Linkin Park, especially the songs "Faint", "Session", and "Breaking the Habit".

Yes, lots and lots of music this time around…almost TOO much, seeing as I'm having trouble hearing what people say to me now…-_-;;; Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter of "Labyrinth", and beg you to review! ONEGAI! *kneeling* It's what I survive on! (**Jurei:** sooo…weak… **Lia Strife**: Here, Ju-chan, reviews for you! **Jurei:** reviews! *consumes them after reading them*) So remember! Reviews mean Jurei lives long enough to write the next chapter! ^^;;;;

Next chapter is "Chapter 5: Haunted"… yes, I did get the name from an Evanescence song, but it really does work better for what I have planned than anything else I could think of.

Till then, Ja ne minna! *bows* (_ _)

~Jurei-chan^6


	5. The Bargain

Hyo minna!^^ Here we have come to chapter 5, where we finally get to see Inuyasha in human form. For those who didn't really understand what happened in the last chapter, hopefully this will straighten things out for you. Once again, I'm sorry for the delay…I don't usually like to submit my chapters without checking them over a couple times, and even then it still takes me a while to phrase things in a way that I feel presents the idea best.

To bonessasan: You are quite astute…that is very close to part of what happened and what's going on, but there is (as always) other little complications to (hopefully) make the story interesting.

To everyone else…I'm thrilled that you understood that Inuyasha was both the beast and Inu…that's why I had him spell out his name with a dash afterwards when he wrote it in the dust, mainly because the yasha half of him was missing.

This chapter might sound a little different, mainly because I'll actually have to write Inuyasha's character for the first time, and also due to the fact that I was a little pressed to get something out before I leave for vacation. Hopefully, however, this will still be enjoyable for you all to read. ONEGAI, R&R! It takes very little effort, and lets me know what I'm doing wrong, and what I'm not screwing up completely ^^;;; (mou, doesn't Jurei have a ton of confidence in her writing ability? -_-;;;;)

Disclaimer: The fact that I'm a teenager who doesn't even have a job, writes _fanfiction_, and has to read the Inuyasha _translations_ on the web should give you a hint. I also aplologize for Inu's potty mouth, seeing as I tried to stay as close to his actual verbal translation as possible (i.e. what he sounds like in Chris Rijik-san's Inuyasha manga translations).

Now, I present for your reading pleasure, the next segment of "Labyrinth"!

Labyrinth

~An Inuyasha fanfiction story presented by Jurei~ 

Chapter 5: The Bargain

The Scrying Basin lay on the floor, broken clean in two equal halves, its contents spilled across the floor in a mixture of fire, spelled stone, and black ice.

Naraku's chest heaved, his crimson eyes narrowed in pure hatred and rage. His pale, perfect hands were clasped into fists so tight that his knuckles showed white through the skin, shaking with suppressed emotion. How could that weak little girl…how _dare_ she!

If it hadn't been completely against the dark youkai's nature, he would have screamed out loud, though the kami knew he was doing so within his head. How could an untrained, half-amnesiac girl with no great magical talent to speak of undo what the original White Miko had done fifteen years ago? It was unprecedented, impossible!

So impossible that it led Naraku to believe that there had been another force at work. A force with the power not only to reunite a hanyou soul with its body, but to decimate his Scrying Basin, despite the countless wards and charms he had infused within the stone itself…it would take him days, even weeks, to replace it.

In a very un Naraku-like fashion, he growled, the sound rumbling threateningly through the air and into the stone walls of the chamber. With his powers still recovering, he would be unable to do anything other than hope that one of the more vicious creatures or traps would claim the girl's life, though the possibility had become much smaller now that the Beast was restored to his original form.

Almost worst of all was the fact that he had lost one of the most vital tools in his quest to escape the spells and wards that bound him. Though those outside of the labyrinth would have no way of knowing that the Beast no longer roamed its passages, the enemies who still lived within the prison would soon discover the truth. All those who he had dismissed as soon-to-be-expired problems just might become serious obstacles once again…

Hajima Miroku, Tsukiyama Kouga, Sesshoumaru…it was very likely that he would be meeting them once again.

He cursed, throwing himself into his throne-like chair angrily.

They could not be allowed to escape from the maze. Though it was doubtful that the latter two would join forces with anyone, each possessed enough power to become a serious nuisance. As to the monk…well, he would most probably aim to share his powers with the first anti-Naraku group he could find, which would make him a greater threat. Also, it could not be denied that revenge was a powerful tool…

The dark youkai sat in deep thought for a while, fingers removing a set of black, unornamented harmony balls from his robe before beginning to toy with them restlessly. One of the few goods to make their way safely from a land outside of the island's reach (he thoroughly disapproved of importing anything from somewhere that was not under his control), though he had to admit that the motion allowed him to think more easily.

In respect to directly affecting events in the labyrinth, he was helpless at the moment. He was even unable to see what transpired within his domain now that his Scrying Basin was gone. However, he could still work small magics…

Naraku straightened, the thought coming to him slowly and clearly. He still had _her_…all be told, it would take a while to transport her to the opportune place at the right time, but he had little doubt that she would be able to deal with them. Maybe they would destroy each other when the time came…he grinned at the thought, though the expression was by no means pleasant.

He then stood up, the material of his fine clothes rustling with the movement, yet falling perfectly with no need for adjustment, just as the cloth had been spelled to do. Yes…there would be need to visit the Miko before he summoned _her_ to him…

His footsteps echoed softly on the stone of the floor as the dark youkai made his way out of the chamber. Maybe things weren't as inopportune as they had seemed at first…

The corridor he entered was much darker than the room had been, and any normal person would have had to pause and let their eyes adjust to the change in lighting. Naraku moved through the darkness like he was part of it, which wasn't far from the truth. On he passed, through passages and stairways, past doors, and up more flights of stairs. Throughout the entire trip, however, not one single window broke the monotony of the walls.

In front of him, the passage seemed to get darker and darker until finally, a faint blue light broke through the shadows, causing the dark youkai to squint briefly before entering the room. He flinched only briefly as the blue light washed over his body, making him resemble more than ever the dark figure of a demon from hell.

Naraku then stopped, toes inches away from an iridescent barrier that filled most of the room, the source of the unearthly glow. He then smirked his cold, grim, smile at the dark-haired girl who knelt within the circle of light, dressed in a jade-coloured kimono with white and pink designs covering the top half of the garment; unusual clothes for one who practiced the arts of the miko.

She met his eyes, her own dark brown orbs glaring at him defiantly. He chuckled humourlessly.

"Good evening, Sango-_sama_…"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"What's with you, bitch? I'm not a damn dog; my name is Inuyasha."

Kagome stood, mouth wide in shock, eyes blinking furiously at the being that had moments ago been a white dog and beserker-youkai. There was something wrong with this picture…people didn't just _meld_ together all of a sudden…

The amber eyes narrowed, glowing molten gold as their owner stood up with an angry scowl. "But you should already know that, Kikyo. After all, it's your fucking fault that Naraku stuck me in here in the first place…your fucking spell that screwed things up for me in the first place, and your damned spell that just knocked me flat on my ass…"

The girl was only dimly aware that the youth in front of her was at the least slightly delusional, calling her "Kikyo" and all…or maybe _she_ was…maybe he wasn't real, and she had just imagined him with the aid of a nice bump on the head…

"…you must be getting rusty, Kikyo…" the dog-eared boy was saying, his face creased in a smirk, though bitterness tainted his tone, "there was a time when you could kill me with a touch…or maybe you actually feel guilty for once…after all, if Naraku escapes, it'll all be your fault-"

"W-wait! What are you talking about!?" Kagome's retaliation instinct kicked in, finally snapping her out of her shocked state enough to understand that she was being insulted, "I am _not_ 'Kikyo', whoever that is…my name is Kagome! Where is Inu?"

Inuyasha scowled, looking both wild and angry as he replied. "For the last time, it's Inuyasha! And you're crazier than I thought if you expect me to believe _that_…you _are_ Kikyo!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"  
  
"Are too!"

"Am not! What makes you think that I am 'Kikyo', anyway? Besides the fact that you are completely delusional?"

Inuyasha didn't even slow down enough to realize he was being insulted before answering. "You're the only woman that has that disgusting scent!"

At this he sniffed at the air in front of Kagome in a very dog-like fashion, almost as if to prove his point.

Then he sniffed again, more carefully…

"…you're not Kikyo…" he stated, sounding both surprised and a little sulky. Kagome got the impression that he didn't like being proved wrong.

"…Which is what I have been trying to _tell_ you!" replied the girl, her own face openly displaying her annoyance and anger.

"Keh! You couldn't be Kikyo, wench…Kikyo was prettier, more feminine! …And her scent was nicer…yours makes me want to wretch!"

"Why, you! My name is not "wench" either! It's Kagome! Ka-Go-Me!" she annunciated each syllable, almost as if trying to get the point across as clearly as humanly possible, seeing as it seemed to take so much effort to get the boy to understand _anything_, "and baths do not _abound_ in the labyrinth, you know!"

At this, Inuyasha merely turned his head away, eyes closed in a defiant expression. "Keh!"

Kagome sighed, suddenly tired again. "You seem to have neglected to explain," she reminded the youth, "…where is Inu?"

The amber-yellow eyes were back on her, this time looking at her like she was the dimmest creature alive. "If you mean that white dog, he's back to being where he belongs," he spat, his voice especially harsh.

The girl swiftly caught on to what he wasn't saying. The white dog-ears proved it…she wasn't imagining things. Inu and the Beast had really melded together to become this boy…Inuyasha. It made sense, in an odd-twisted-logic sort of way. From what he said, it appeared that the two had originally been one being and had somehow been split apart…and Kagome didn't doubt for a minute that "Kikyo" had somehow been involved, especially taking in to account the way that he reacted so violently to her memory.

She eyed the youth, taking in his appearance from the white dog-ears that poked through his silvery-white hair to his strong, handsome face, to his well-muscled torso, and finally, to his bare feet from where they poked out of his hakama. She was also now doubly grateful that he was wearing some article of clothing, though she could have done with a shirt as well...

Another sigh escaped her mouth, this time accompanied by a sadness that welled within her. It looked like her canine companion was gone, and all that remained in his place was this rude, arrogant, callused…

'…adorably dog-eared…' her mind added, though she promptly stamped the thought out viciously.

…young man; a youkai, though there was something about him that suggested humanity as well.

Inuyasha noticed her pensive stare and glared back. "What the hell are you looking at, wench?" he snarled angrily.

Kagome turned away, resisting the urge to sigh again before murmuring, "Nothing…" her cheeks slightly pink.

"Keh."

There was something off about this boy, the girl decided. He was seemingly decided not to show any kind of emotion other than anger or indifference…

"Well, should we get going, then?" she asked, the suggestion carrying a decidedly dispassionate air.

Her feet had already carried her to stand directly in front of the shimmering gateway before she realized that the youth wasn't following her. She turned back, giving him an inquisitive glance.

"What the hell makes you think I wanna go anywhere with _you_?" Inuyasha demanded, his tone just as dispassionate as hers had been moments before, "you're a useless wench with a disgusting scent, remember?"

Kagome sweatdropped. Why did he have to be so darn stubborn…it looked like she would have to try a different approach.

"Well, fine then!" she replied, turning away and tossing her hair over her shoulder in a nonchalant manner, "Who needs a childish little dog-boy like you? You'd only be in my way, anyway…"

From the corner of her eye, she distinctly saw the aforementioned dog-boy's ears twitch.

"…And you probably can't do much of anything useful…I've seen better biceps on a baboon. Brighter-looking baboons, too…"

Inuyasha's frame was stiffening, giving his body the look of someone who has just been made aware of the fact that an extremely poisonous spider has crawled up their pantleg. Kagome also distinctly saw his hands flexing as if sorely tempted to cleave her in half…she wondered momentarily if insulting someone with claws capable of slicing a piece of rock in two was the brightest move, but dismissed the thought and barreled onwards anyway.

"…You're probably just as lost in here as I am…I bet you couldn't find us a way out of here even if all the corridors arranged themselves into one neat little row-"

"Shows how much _you_ know, bitch!" Inuyasha retorted, finally cutting her off, "I could get us out of here in about a week or less if I wanted to!"

Kagome smiled internally. Finally…what she had been waiting for…

"Then prove it," she stated, almost too quickly.

"No. Now shut the hell up and hand over the Shikon no Tama."

The girl fell over anime-style. So much for that idea…and to make matters worse, he had completely lost her with that last little demand. What was he up to now? And what in the name of the seven hells was the …whatever he had just said?

"Ano…beg your pardon?" she inquired carefully, "What was that last bit?"

Inuyasha snorted. "How dim are you, exactly? I told you to give me the Shikon no Tama! I know you've got it somewhere…so hand it over!"

Kagome could feel the irritation she had felt with him earlier building up again. "I don't have it-"

Then the beginnings of an idea caused her to stop short. It was risky…but worth a shot nonetheless. Would it work…?

"…but I know where it is."

The inuyoukai looked decidedly interested in her for the first time, and even a little reasonable. "Well, out with it, wench!"

She felt heartened by this. Her idea might even work. "I'll tell you…I'll even take you to it…"

He leaned forwards, the angry scowl leaving his face for the first time since he had become whole.

"…when and if you get me out of here."

The scowl was back in an instant.

"No way in fucking hell! Why should I help you out if I can just kill you and take the thing myself?"

"Because I would have to _have_ it on my person in the first place for you to do that," she said, barely needing to feign the weariness in her voice. Dealing with this…this…_boy_ was leaving her mentally drained…why did she want him along, again? Oh yeah…because on her own, she was as good as dead.

Inuyasha crossed his arms, giving off his usual "Keh!" response.

"Also, I'm the only one who can tell you where it is…and if you do not help me out, who _known_ what might happen to me…"

She was beginning to understand the language of the twitching ears by now, and she took the almost invisible flick as a sign that he was at least _half_-listening to her.

"Just about _anything_ in here could destroy your chances of ever finding it…if I were to die-"

He whirled away, staring hard at the floorstones as the wheels in his mind turned. It was possible that she was telling the truth…regular contact with the Shikon no Tama _would_ have left her carrying its scent faintly, depending on how long it had been since she had last touched the jewel. There was always the chance that she was presently carrying it on her, but if he killed her and she _wasn't_ carrying it, he was screwed. No…it was safer to trust her, for now…after all, he could always just kill her later if it turned out that she was lying…

Dimly, he wondered when it had become so easy for him to think of killing someone so callously, but pushed the thought back, half-positive that he didn't want to know. This decision also would mean that he would have to admit he had been wrong. "Dammit…"

"Do we have a deal?" Kagome asked, wearing a knowing half-grin while offering her hand out to the youth.

Inuyasha's scowl darkened considerably.

"…Deal," he finally agreed, gripping her outstretched hand roughly before letting go of it as if it extended contact would poison him.

"Well then, since that's over with, _now_ shall we get going?" the runner inquired, turning back to the gateway.

The inuyoukai grunted.

As they approached the shimmering sheet of magic, however, Kagome couldn't help but wonder just how she would manage to avoid being killed when the time came…she remembered the brief contact with his hand, and the iron-like feel of his brief grip, as well as just how sharp and long his claws were up close. How on earth would she manage to escape his anger when he discovered that she actually had no clue what the Shikon no Tama was, let alone where it could possibly be?

She let out an involuntary shiver, sneaking a sideways glance at her companion. A companion out of necessity, she reasoned, and as soon as they got out of the labyrinth (provided that he had been telling the truth about being able to get them out), she would be gone faster than you could say "Naraku's a bastard".

There was always the chance (as in snowball's-chance-in-hell kind of chance) that she would discover what the Shikon no Tama was before they escaped, and maybe even discover its location in time to keep herself in one distinct piece…

Kagome's eyes flickered over Inuyasha's claws once last time before she shivered, this time much more distinctly.

Nope…she was definitely heading for the hills as soon as the first chance presented itself once she was out of the prison's magical walls. There was no way that she would stay around Inuyasha longer than she needed to.

Briefly, she wondered what might have happened if she and Inu had never encountered the legendary Beast. Would she have taken him with her in her confrontation of Naraku, and her mission to this Sango, who she was barely beginning to remember…?

She smiled at the obvious answer. Of course she would have…Inu was her companion. As long as he wanted to stay around, she would have kept him…

Then what was it that made Inuyasha so different from Inu…?

Before she had a chance to try and work beyond the obvious answer of "he's a _demon_ that wants to kill me" however, his gruff voice cut through her deep train of thought.

"Come on, wench! You're slowing us down!"

Kagome frowned, but remained silent. If there was anything of Inu left, he was buried deep down…_very_ deep down. So far, that it seemed like her friend was gone completely…

She sighed softly, the sound full of sadness, yet fading completely as the two stepped through the archway, and into the second precident of the labyrinth.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Well, minna…I know that really sucked (so far, I think it's my worst chapter…-_-;;;), and I know it isn't exactly worth waiting two weeks for, but I hope it's helped to tide you over until the next part. Unfortunately, the next update will probably take quite a while, seeing as I'm leaving for Florida on the 16th and won't be returning until August 31st (just in time for school to start…*sighs*)

Those who couldn't care less, now please kindly talk amongst yourselves for the next little bit.

The soundtrack for this chapter is…well, definitely less than last time. Once again, Metallica's "S&M" has made its way back into my possession through the public library, and so I listened to almost nothing but that album for the last two or so weeks (man, I never get sick of that CD…^^;;;)

The songs from "S&M" most influencing this chapter are " – human", "Sad but True", "The Thing That Should Not Be", "One", "No Leaf Clover", and "Of Wolf and Man".

Admittedly, one or two songs from Metallica's "Garage inc." CD also made it in. These are "Turn the Page", and "Whiskey in the Jar".

…Okay, and "Faint", from Linkin Park's "Meteora" album, just because that song kicks.

For those who asked about websites where you can download Linkin Park, Evanescence, and Metallica…hn, I don't really know of any source other than media fileshare programs like Kazaa and Imesh. You might try the official Evanescence website (), or Lycos's MP3 download section. I know that Metallica is greatly against people stealing their music, so I don't really know of anywhere where you can get their stuff on the web other than (once again) the fileshare programs, but you might want to try visiting their website just in case ( or ).

Next chapter will be "Chapter 6: Chutes and Ladders" (yes, the name was taken from a Korn song, just because I think it fits). Yes, I know this chapter was supposed to be entitled "Haunted", but I decided to change it at the last moment, just because it no longer fit what I had written.

Ja ne till next chapter!^^ 

Arigato gozaimasu for reading. (_ _)*bows*

~Jurei-chan^6


	6. Chutes and Ladders

Hyo minna-san!^^ Here is chapter six at long last! Yes…I KNOW it's been a while, but I only got back from Florida on the 31st, and it always takes me a good few days to turn out something that feel good about presenting to you guys as a new chapter. Also, school started…need I say more?

Arigato to all of you who reviewed, and I apologize for badmouthing chapter five; I'm not a very good judge of my own work, and am not always very confident with what I've written. I would like to thank Aubrey2 for your wonderfully supportive feedback. It makes me feel much better knowing that the amount of effort I usually put into my work is appreciated so greatly! ^^

Disclaimer: Inuyasha does _so _belong to me!

….

….

….

Oh fine! It really belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Sunrise, etc. (that horrid company responsible for the butchering of the series in English is not worthy of being named). Therefore, I am not responsible for his potty mouth…so don't go blaming it on me! Now I hope you're happy that you've just destroyed a poor, overworked, sleep-deprived high-school girl's dream…*sniff*

Now, without further ado, I present chapter six for your reading enjoyment!

Labyrinth

~_An Inuyasha fanfiction presented by Jurei_~

Chapter 6: Chutes and Ladders

"Good evening, Sango-_sama_."

The dark-haired woman glared back in response to the contemptuous greeting, brown eyes clearly displaying the loathing she felt for the youkai standing before her. Far from deterring Naraku, however, the reaction merely made him smirk darkly, his own crimson eyes shining with malicious glee.

"Is that any way to treat your host? Come now…I trust the accommodations have not been in lacking in any way. If so, merely alert me and I will deal with the problem directly."

Sango said nothing, though the mocking comment succeeded in making the hatred on her features darker significantly. The dark youkai continued, beginning to pace the area of the room outside of the barrier, thoroughly seeming to enjoy himself.

"However, Sango-chan, I am not here to chat idly. Though it devastates me to have to cut my time in your enjoyable company short, I have other matters to attend to…"

"…Glad at least that you're devastated…" the miko muttered, silently outraged at the insult implied by the diminutive suffix. As a crack, it was weak, though it caused Naraku's grin to widen.

"As you are most likely aware of by now, following your group's apprehension a few days ago, your…ah, _companion_ Higurashi Kagome, has been thrown into the labyrinth-"

A short gasp of breath was the only indication from Sango that the news meant anything to her, though it gave the youkai the satisfaction of knowing that she had probably only guessed at the truth.

"…As I was saying, she has been imprisoned on the charge of betrayal to the imperial forces, and sentenced to life without hope of return in the labyrinth. Your brother, Nanase Kohaku, on the other hand, has been charged with treason in the highest degree, and will be executed one week from tomorrow."

The miko's body drooped minutely, though her face remained devoid of all emotion other than hatred as she spoke directly to Naraku for the first time.

"I can see how informing me of my brother's imminent death might amuse you, but what is it, then, that you intend to accomplish by telling me of my personal guardian's fate?" she asked, her voice grating through gritted teeth in a flat tone. "I am already as good as your prisoner…what more do you want?"

Naraku chuckled darkly, his features sobering slightly. "I'm afraid, Sango-chan, that what you say is too far from the truth to please me. We are presently at a stalemate…you cannot go anywhere due to my barrier, but I cannot touch you due to the protection _you_ cast upon yourself…and half-succeeded in casting on Higurashi before my warriors managed to apprehend you both."

Sango frowned. Naraku was making a mistake it seemed…she had never even touched Kagome magically, though she wished now that she had cast the barrier around then both, regardless of magical repercussions. However, if Naraku believed that Kagome was at least partly protected…it was all the better for them.

"This time, however, I have greater business to discuss. In fact, I have a proposition for you..."

For the first time throughout the entire exchange, the miko's face registered an expression other than loathing: a mixture between shock, interest, irritation, and light amusement. "You believe that anything you might offer me could even tempt me to bargain with you…" the derision was clear in her voice.

Naraku smirked. "I can tell, however, miko, that you are interested in what I have to say, despite your…foolishly hasty reply."

The dark-haired girl flinched, frowning at the returned insult, though she said nothing to deny the dark youkai's comment. Truth be told she _was_ interested…though she wouldn't take anything Naraku said at face value. He was clever, and definitely dangerous; she couldn't trust him as far as she could throw the castle.

"In exchange for the location of the Shikon no Tama, I will make sure that Higurashi makes it out of the labyrinth alive. Yes, it is possible," he added in response to Sango's skeptical look, "and she will receive an official pardon upon her exit, as will Kohaku. The other option is that you give yourself up to me and disable the wards keeping me tied to this island…in exchange for her pardon and your brother's life."

"…Unfortunately for you," Sango replied, "I am unable to tell you where the Shikon no Tama is…and you threw the only person that could tell you into the labyrinth..." her voice dripped with ironic amusement.

Naraku scowled, seemingly doing some quick thinking, though soon his expression returned to its half-smirk moments later. "Then, I suppose, you only really have one proposition to consider," he said, tone nonchalant.

"…And if I refuse?" Sango asked, this time displaying more caution than before, though the irony still echoed lightly in her voice.

The dark youkai smiled openly, and the effect was chilling. "I hardly believe that you need to ask me that, Sango-chan…you're intelligent enough, figure it out. I will escape the island one way or another…whether or not your companions die is up to you. I will return this time tomorrow to hear your decision, seeing as humans usually tend to claim that they need time to make obvious choices."

And with that final remark, Naraku was gone, leaving only a memory of dark-coloured material in his wake.

Sango's expression sobered immediately as soon as she heared his footsteps echoing in the corridor, and the silent tear that ran down her cheek didn't come until she was completely certain that he was long gone. Even then, her despair was expressed in silence, frame shaking with soundless sobs as salt water leaked from her eyes and ran down her cheeks in bitter rivulets to be brushed away by an impatient hand.

What Naraku asked was impossible. She couldn't destroy the wards that held him, even if she wished to. Kikyo, the original White Miko, had fortified them with more white magic than any one being was capable of withstanding…enough to churn the ocean that bordered the island into a permanent hurricane which few vessels dared to brave even in the best of circumstances. The effort had killed her, it was said, and she had been the strongest miko in the history of the island. Sango herself couldn't match Kikyo's power…not by a long shot. The only way would have been to find another miko with enough power to supply the missing half of energy needed, but Naraku had systematically killed everyone who could possibly stand in his way…

A burst of hysterical laughter threatened to bubble through Sango's lips, though she managed to choke it back. The irony that Naraku's clever plans had destroyed the only means he had for reaching the goal he sought so restlessly…

It was no use…the laugh choked through her sobs, harsh as she broke down within the boundaries of the barrier, holding her face in her hands. The Shikon no Tama was gone…or as good as gone, with Kagome lost somewhere within the depths of the labyrinth, and there was no other miko to aid her, even if she _did_ sacrifice her duty in order to save her brother. She was powerless to help Kagome…

The idea dawned on her suddenly, putting an immediate end to the outburst of hysteria and restoring her somewhat to her usual self. Naraku believed that she was capable of dismantling the barrier…there just might be a way to buy Kohaku some time.

The miko wiped her eyes, removing all traces of her tears. There was no time to despair...Naraku had given her one day to think about his offer…though she planned to use the time much more productively.

She had some planning to do.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Are you _sure_ we are going the right way?"

"For the last time _yes_, wench! We're going the right way…whose leading, you or me?"

Kagome sighed, huffing a breath to blow her bangs out of her eyes. She had trimmed them very frequently outside of the labyrinth, and the added length was beginning to be a pain…just like everything else inside the wretched maze. It seemed to her that they were going in circles…though her travelling companion hardly made asking a simple question an enjoyable task.

"Oi! Hurry up…it'll be _years_ before we get out of here at the pace _you're_ going at!" the comment came echoing back, grating harshly on the girl's ears.

She looked up, noticing that the hanyou had gotten further ahead and was almost leaving her behind completely. Jogging to catch up, she grimaced. He had done it on purpose…and it wasn't the first time, either.

"Keh! You'd think we were on some kind of stroll through the park…" Inuyasha's statement was perfectly audible, though Kagome got the feeling that he was talking to himself. Her expression darkened. The way things were going, she was starting to miss the dead silence and the solitude of being alone amongst gigantic stone walls...

"…Bitch." The frown became an all-out scowl. Walls, it seemed, were better company.

The inu-hanyou had been just as irritable and bad-tempered from the start, somehow managing to continue the barrage of dissatisfaction and insults at regular intervals despite the tiny portions of water that formed their rations. How he did it, Kagome didn't know…it had to be something about his youkai metabolism. Maybe he was part camel-youkai?

The image that resulted from this thought caused a burst of laughter, which the girl soon quieted. It was enough to make Inuyasha suspicious, however.

"What's so funny, wench?" he growled, amber eyes flashing back angrily.

"Nothing…for goodness sake, you would think it was a crime to laugh…" Kagome replied, though the last part was said to herself.

"Maybe it is…" the hanyou murmured.

"What?"

"Keh! Nothing…"

They continued in silence for a while before Kagome broke it by asking:

"What happened between you and 'Kikyo', anyway…"

Inuyasha stopped short, glaring at her in the way she was quickly becoming accustomed to. "Wherever the hell that came from…it's none of your damn business, bitch!" he replied, his tone and expression making it clear that the topic was closed for discussion.

The girl looked down at the floor, watching the small cracks between stones critically. "Huh…blame a girl for wanting to know a bit more about the person she's travelling with…" she muttered.

"Keh!"

  
She sweatdropped. His hearing was incredible…it was already apparent that she would have to watch what she said around him…with his touchy nature, who knew when he might just leave her in the middle of nowhere due to something he overheard.

"Shit!"

Kagome's head snapped up, and a small wave of frustration washed over her as she noticed that her companion was once again managing to outdistance her without her even noticing. The angry comment that came to her lips, however, was lost as soon as she met his gaze and saw the warning it held. Carefully she made her way to his side, fixing him with a questioning look. He made no comment, but pointed down at the floor with a clawed finger.

The girl followed his indication, and frowned. To their right was the entrance of another corridor, perfectly identical to any other except for images of strange figures carved into the floorstones, just like the ones she had seen upon her first days in the prison when travelling with Inu…

She choked, but swallowed the lump in her throat that rose at the thought of her friend and looked back at Inuyasha quizzically. "What are they?" She asked quietly, her gray eyes meeting his amber ones levelly and without negative emotion for the first time since their fateful first meeting.

He stopped short, mirroring her gaze in a slightly disoriented way for a moment before choking out a reply:

"They were carved by fa…by someone, a long time ago. Some have different meanings, but most of them are warnings. For traps and other nasty stuff," here he seemed to regain his usual demeanor, as his features formed themselves back into his customary scowl. "Though the youkai that did it didn't think to differentiate between "traps" and "other nasty stuff", but rather gave them all the same symbols…" he growled.

Kagome said nothing about the obvious emotion in the hanyou's voice that betrayed the fact that the symbols meant more to him than he let on. She merely nodded, accepting the information, and asked:

"So…how are we going to deal with whatever lies inside that corridor?"

The hanyou keh-d. "How else? By going in there, wench! It's the only way of getting where we want to go, and there's no way around it either."

The girl sighed. He was definitely unchanged, despite his little 'moment of weakness'…one would think that he cultivated the mood on purpose. "All right…let's get going, then…" she said, the enthusiasm in her voice comparable to a solitary drop of water in the desert at high noon – nonexistent.

"Keh! You'd think we were going to die or something from the way you say it…" Inuyasha commented, crouching on the ground and holding his arms back slightly, obviously waiting for something.

As it was, it took Kagome a few moments to realize that he was actually waiting for _her_ to do something. And from his position, it almost seemed like he was…

"…Wait…NO WAY! You cannot be serious…"

The dog-demon glared at her with all of his impatience and bad humor. "Do I look like I'm joking? Hurry up! We'll make it through faster if you ride on my back."

"But…but…"

Inuyasha huffed. "Look, bitch, I haven't got all fucking day…if you want to be an idiot about it when we get out of this damn maze, go ahead, just as long as it's far away from where I am. It's not like I'm going to drop you or something…right now it's not like you have much of a choice."

Kagome eyed him apprehensively for a moment before giving in. "Fine…" she said, climbing onto his back and gripping his shoulders tightly with her slender hands. He stood up immediately, barely giving her time to adjust her balance, before he was off into the passage at a quick pace that was almost enough to make her eyes water.

After the first initial shock of moving so fast, it was almost fun. The air wasn't so stagnant, but rather blew through her hair and ruffled her torn skirt, churned by their passing through. Inuyasha's white hair was also blown back by the speed, tickling her cheek where it made contact, and Kagome was sorely tempted to let go of one of his shoulders and thread it through her fingers. This was probably the only opportunity she would have to feel the inu-hanyou's hair: one of the first things about him that had interested her, other than the dog-ears that poked out of the snowy tresses. At the speed they were going at, however, she would probably lose her balance if she tried…she cursed, casting a glance upwards. Somehow, it seemed like someone up there had taken a particular liking to watching her suffer...

A sudden jolt broke her musings as Inuyasha leapt sideways, kicking off the wall at a ninety-degree angle that caused her to feel gravity very uncomfortably, and landing back in the centre of the passage sharply before repeating the action on the opposite wall. Kagome squinted her eyes against the wind, looking back carefully to see what it was exactly that they had avoided, before swallowing loudly.

Behind them lay two black splotches on the floor…square black splotches, to be exact. Fifty-foot long splotches that looked oddly like if the floor was missing in those areas.

The Runner snapped her head forward, squinting past the moisture in the corners of her eyes to focus on the upcoming black gap that seemed to be rushing towards them…they were definitely bigger up close…

"Hold on!" Inuyasha yelled, lengthening his stride and increasing his speed, as well as the speed at which the gap was approaching…

Kagome's jaw threatened to drop in disbelief. He was heading straight for it…he couldn't be…he wasn't planning to _jump_ the thing, was he?

Three strides later, it was apparent that that was _exactly_ what the hanyou planned to do. Kagome gripped his shoulders more tightly, squeezing her eyes shut tightly and preparing to scream. He was completely insane…there was _no way_ he could make it jumping head on…even if he were to use the same angle technique he had used previously, it was doubtful that they would make it to the other side untouched…

One more stride…

…and they were flying through the air as Inuyasha kicked off hard from the edge of the pit. It was an odd feeling, almost like the laws of physics has ceased to be, and the girl couldn't help opening her eyes a fraction before experiencing a strange dropping sensation in the pit of her stomach and wishing she hadn't.

Below them and to all sides there was nothing but blackness, almost as if the passage had come apart in two pieces. No walls, no floor…maybe a ceiling, though Kagome was unable to tell, due to the passage's immense height, just like all the other parts of the labyrinth she had travelled through so far. It was like facing the yawning black mouth of Hell itself…a void that promised nothing but an eternity of darkness and falling…

Desperately, she noticed that they were slowly losing altitude, and the other side of the gap was nowhere in sight. She pressed her forehead into the hanyou's shoulder, praying desperately. It couldn't end like this…there _had_ to be another side, though whether they would land safely or fall short was becoming a mere matter of chance and luck.

Kagome looked up, peering through her bangs into the darkness ahead, searching for a sign, _any _sign, of worn stone and the glimmer of torches. With each passing moment, her despair became deeper and deeper. They were flying lower and lower, and it looked like they wouldn't make it…

Then her eyes snapped into sharper focus, noticing a lightening patch in the darkness. She blinked, wanting to trust her eyes more than anything, but doubting all the same. No, she had not been mistaken…now there was a faint flickering yellow light like that let off by torches, sharp where the stones of walls and floor framed it. She almost let out a shout of relief, but managed to make do with a small sigh into Inuyasha's white hair.

However, the quickly enlarging window of light was rivaled by their equally rapid descent through the air and blackness. Kagome fingers gripped the hanyou's bare shoulders tighter, eyes widening as they drew level with the stone floor, but from too far away to land. Their loss of altitude was too rapid; they would fall short by several meters. It was no good…they were going to miss…

Almost like he could hear Kagome's thoughts, Inuyasha growled, the sound reverberating through his chest as a deep rumble as he thrust his body forward through the air towards the worn stone floor.

It all seemed to happen in slow motion. Kagome watched with a strange sense of detachment as the floor rose out of her vision, leaving her eyes in darkness. They were sinking…still moving forward imperceptibly, but sinking…sinking…they were lost…

Regular motion was restored with a mighty jolt that was not completely mental, as the girl believed at first. She looked up, noticing that they were no longer descending, but were suddenly still. Above her, all she could see was a sliver of light, and one long arm gripping onto the edge of the stone floor where its wall-like surface dropped into the blackness below. The claws were embedded into the stone, scratching deeper with each passing moment as their owner strengthened his deathgrip, bringing his other arm up to it's aid. Inuyasha's body lay parallel to the stone, arms straining as he strove to solidify his precarious hold, turning his head to look back at the girl on his back.

"Hurry up, wench! Start climbing!" he hissed through clenched teeth, his neck craned back as far as he could manage so that he could motivate her further with a glare.

Kagome wasted no time arguing, moving to comply faster than she had done anything else in her life. Using his arms and shoulders like a ladder, she scrambled up his body quickly, hoisting herself over the edge of the stone floor above and pulling herself onto the comfortingly solid stones and panting both with the exertion and the experience she had just come out of.

The hanyou was up mere moments after her, eyes blazing in their usual scowl while his chest heaved with each breath he took. He shot an angry glance in the girl's direction but said nothing, merely sitting himself cross-legged on the floor and proceeding to massage his shoulder roughly.

"What?" Kagome managed to ask.

"…forget it," Inuyasha replied, looking away, though his expression didn't change.

She studied him critically for a moment before shrugging and turning away from him herself. If he wished to be like that…

Both of them got to their feet at the same time, still breathing slightly laboriously, though each made an effort to recover their breath quickly. Instead, they looked ahead at the corridor that remained, gauging the distance. It wasn't too far, and the passage appeared whole from where they stood.

"Lets-" began Kagome, but the hanyou cut her off by beginning to move forward without so much as a word. She scowled in a fair imitation of him. Just because he had decided to get angry at her for some reason known only to him, didn't mean he had to treat her like she wasn't there, she reasoned.

"Fine!" she huffed, stepping into stride with him, crossing her arms over her chest and tossing her head, eyes closed in what could be called the 'keh!' expression. Inuyasha continued to walk onwards, making no comment.

Two steps later, however, both rapidly forgot about being angry with each other as the stone below their feet disappeared, leaving them to plunge down into the deep hole with not so much as a startled cry.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

She were moving quickly, almost at the same speed as when Inuyasha had been running at before, flying down what could only be described as a long stone slide. Kagome covered her head with her arms, yelling as the chute twisted and turned in no planned or reasonable pattern or direction. All she knew was that it was completely dark and that she was moving in a downward direction, though the speed and corkscrew-like design of her path did little for her sense of direction.

…Was it her imagination, or was she suddenly going _faster_?

The cry became more high-pitched as the girl tried to make herself as small as possible, hurtling down the twists and turns at a suicidal speed. The slide had gotten steeper, it seemed, almost like whoever had built it had suddenly decided that it was taking much to long to get to the bottom…wherever that was.

And suddenly, she was no longer on the slide, but hurtling through the air as she flew off the upturned end of the chute. The air around was no longer dark, though the dim light made it easier for the girl to see exactly what lay below.

She closed her eyes, screaming loudly while shaking her head back and forth in denial. This could not be happening to her…she had never pictured he death as being quite this…_messy_.

"Will you shut up, bitch? You're giving me a fucking headache," came the feral voice in her ear.

Kagome interrupted her screaming to look up into the face of Inuyasha, seemingly flying parallel with her. That is, until it dawned on her that he was holding her, one hand hooked under her knees and the other on the small of her back. Surprise rapidly replaced terror on her features…he looked so calm, like he had the entire situation under control. Which, by the looks of things, he did, she amended, noting how she was no longer free-falling but actually flying in a controlled direction. He had caught her, she realized.

"…I said I wouldn't drop you," the hanyou added, turning his gaze ahead and scanning the floor for a place to land.

This caught her off-guard. For a moment, the dog-boy had sounded almost…no, she had to be imagining things as a direct result of all the panic she had experienced. What would he care if she trusted him or not? They were companions of necessity…not …not _friends_…

They landed gracefully on an open spot of exposed floorstone. From there, Inuyasha leapt cautiously to the next patch, and the next, and then finally to the elevated platform that formed the end of the passage: tan stone like the rest of the labyrinth, and roughly twenty feet wide.

The hanyou gave the stone a searching glance before letting Kagome down and onto her own two feet. The girl looked about cautiously before heaving a relieved sigh, noting the symbols marking the floor. It looked like they had reached safety…until the next trap or danger they encountered, anyway.

"That bastard Naraku really didn't want to make this too easy, did he?" Inuyasha commented, tossing his white hair over his shoulder nonchalantly.

Kagome nodded in agreement, brushing her own dark bangs out of her eyes before turning to investigate their surroundings further. There was nothing on the platform other than their two selves…no traps, no boxes of unused food rations (wishful thinking on her part)…nothing…

That is, except for a simple wooden ladder, pushed back against the farthest wall and half-hidden in the shadows. The torchlight that illuminated the rest of the passage didn't reach far enough, making the shade in the corners even darker and gloomier by comparison, meaning that the girl was unsure as to if she was seeing something real or imagined.

Inuyasha noticed the direction of her gaze and, striding across to the wooden frame in three steps, tested it for stability. Finding it suitable, he nodded once in approval.

"This should take us up to roughly where we want to go," he stated confidently. He then stepped back and indicated the ladder with a wave. "You go first."

Kagome blinked. "…Wha…why!?" she asked defensively, wondering what exactly awaited her at the top…what could possibly be a force strong enough to urge the hanyou to act gentlemanly all of a sudden?

"Cause that way, I can make sure nothing happens to you, wench!" Inuyasha retorted, hands on his hips in an intimidating manner, "I didn't save your fucking neck just to lose the best lead I have to the Shikon no Tama because the ancient piece-of-shit ladder broke!"

The girl was just about to retort before thinking better of it and, turning to the ladder, gripped the rungs that came easiest to hand firmly. Then, just as she was about to hoist herself up and begin climbing, she suddenly let go and turned quickly to the hanyou with an accusing look.

"Show me your hand," she demanded, her tone one that left no room for argument.

The dog-demon looked taken aback for a moment before complying, expression one of puzzled indifference.

Kagome huffed. "Not that one…the other one!"

This time, Inuyasha was much slower to succumb to her request. "What the hell does it matter to you anyway, bitch?' he asked accusingly.

His scowl immediately changed to a wince of pain when she leapt forward and seized his hand in her own, turning it to reveal a bloodied palm.

The yellow-amber eyes shifted aside uncomfortably, avoiding her demanding gray gaze. "…had to slow myself down…" he mumbled, "…what the hell are you doing!?"

Kagome wasn't listening. Instead, she was tearing a strip of cloth from what remained of her ragged skirt and uncorking the flask of water, pouring some of the precious liquid on the makeshift bandage to dampen it. She then returned the flask to the haversack and turned back to the hanyou, dabbing away the blood and bandaging the wound carefully despite his cries of protest.

"I'm not some weak human! I don't need your help-"

"Oh, stop complaining!" shushed Kagome, tying a final knot and tugging the ends securely, "It'll get infected if you don't bandage it."

"Won't! I'm a youkai! I heal faster than you pathetic humans, bitch!"

The girl was already climbing the ladder, ignoring his tirade. If he wanted to act macho, that was his problem. The truth was, she felt responsible for his injury…he had gotten it by saving her…

Suddenly, his comment came back to her, echoing inside her head faintly:

"…I said I wouldn't drop you…" 

For once, she allowed herself to mull over the puzzle that was Inuyasha. There was definitely more to him than the walking anger management problem that he always presented to her…

Whether she would ever get to see the other sides of him was doubtful, and not something that should matter to her.

Nevertheless, she found herself wondering why it really did matter so much to her in the first place.

Below her, Inuyasha began climbing the ladder at a distance, the newly bandaged hand gripping the rungs slightly tighter than was necessary, its owner lost in an internal maze of thoughts deeper than the labyrinth of stone and shadow without.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Well, that's all for this chapter!^^ I hope you all like it…it came out a lot longer than I intended it to be. However, I feel you guys deserve it for being so patient with me. As always, school is a great delayer of updates. Hopefully, nothing was too confusing, though I have a feeling there will be more than one person that goes away from this segment with a large quotation mark hovering above their head. PLEASE review!^^ It's what fuels me to write…and what keeps me alive through the gruelling trial of school (especially Math…how that subject causes me nightmares!)

Once again, those people that absolutely hate Metallica and all related music, or just generally don't care can turn and talk amongst themselves right now.

This chapter was written almost entirely to the Metallica CD "…And Justice for All"…specifically the songs "Blackened", "One", "To Live is to Die", "The Frayed Ends of Sanity", and "Harvester of Sorrow". Mind you, I had the CD on repeat for the last half of the chapter or so…so I guess you could say that ALL the songs made it in one form or another ^^;;;

Also listened to was "No Leaf Clover" and the other overly mentioned "S&M" songs…seeing as my brother decided to be wonderfully awesome and buy me the CD for my birthday…which was the 2nd of September, if anyone cares. (shameless advertising…-_-;;;)

  
Another CD that figures into this is Queens of the Stone Age's "Songs for the Deaf"…especially "Hanging Tree", "First it Giveth", "Skies are Falling", and "Go With the Flow".

System of a Down figured minorly in here, too (for the most part, when my brother was playing the album while doing homework, and I was half-listening while typing ^^;;;)…mainly "Aerials", "Chop Suey", "Toxicity", "Deer Dance", and "Needles", all from the "Toxicity" album.

Oh, yes! My reply about music last time…I wasn't encouraging you to avoid buying the CD's by any of the artists mentioned…in fact, I own just about all the CDs mentioned, or am in the process of acquiring, anyway. That is the reason why I listed only official websites (except for Lycos, which I only remember using once, to tell you the truth). Also, I encourage you to visit the official sites, seeing as they almost always have something interesting for you to look at, whether it's tour dates, photos, biographies, or original songbook scans. If at all possible, support artists and their music…after all, if they can't live, how can they keep making the songs we love?

Well…that's everything I wanted to mention, I guess…hopefully, the wait for chapter 7 won't be as long, but I can't promise anything.

Next chapter will be "Chapter 7: Voices"…yes, I seem to be getting all my chapter titles from songs…in this case, the Disturbed song by the same name.

Ja ne till next chapter!

Arigato gozaimasu for reading! *bows* (_ _)

~Jurei-chan^6


	7. Voices

Hyo minna-san!^^ Back with chapter 7…as you can see. I'm very very happy with the feedback I received from all of you…and I'm glad to hear that I haven't written any of the characters TOO out-of-character (one of my chief concerns). Thank you to Phoenix Isis for your constructive criticism…it's very helpful. I know sometimes it's difficult to follow what's going on, but sometimes the pictures in my head are a little difficult to describe clearly (this whole story is actually happening in my head as I write, and all I'm doing is writing it down). I'm sorry about the EXTREMELY long delay with this update…you can blame that on school, and the acquisition of my newest distraction: my Fender P-Bass. -_-;;;

Disclaimer: I'm not Rumiko Takahashi…or Sherwood Smith, Margaret Weis, or Tracy Hickman while we're on the subject. Therefore, I'm only borrowing the Inuyasha characters (and maybe a little inspiration from those authors I mentioned)…I promise to return them all when I'm done!^^ However, maybe one day I will be the frontman for a powerful Metalfusion band, and will therefore be able to BUY ownership…*laughs evilly, and goes off to plan*

…Oh yeah, what I mentioned above about the story "happening" and me just writing it down…that means that I'm in no way responsible for Inuyasha's potty mouth. THAT you can blame on good old Takahashi-sensei.

Now, to what all of you actually give a rat's a** about.

Labyrinth

~An Inuyasha fanfiction story presented by Jurei~ 

Chapter 7: Voices

The steady light of glowstones illuminated the dark stones of the floors and walls more brightly than Naraku would have liked, and he resisted the urge to shiver. However, it was probably all a matter of adjustment, he supposed, and he turned his attention back to his work.

Before him lay a large stone (most would be more disposed to call it a small boulder), as well as a pitcher of water; a delicate wooden bowl; a small, wickedly sharp amber knife; and two pieces of flint. The dark youkai's pale fingers trailed over the instruments carefully before he picked up the knife and began to inspect the blade.

By now, he was nowhere near as enraged as he had been when his original Scrying basin had been destroyed, and he viewed the event more as an inconvenient setback than anything else. After all, it was well within his powers to create another one, though the process was physically and magically draining.

He huffed, eyes narrowing as he found a nick in the finely honed edge. Once again, someone hadn't followed his explicit orders…it appeared that there would be another addition to the labyrinth's Runners tonight. Truly, it was so difficult to find competent help nowadays…

Not like Sango. The cruel mouth twitched upwards, accompanied by a wicked gleam in the scarlet eyes. It was so much _fun_ to play mind games with the miko, especially when she herself was a half-decent player herself. Her comments in their previous discussions he had found particularly entertaining; if he hadn't known better, he would have found himself doubting his own plans at her words…

The ghost of a grin disappeared. Admittedly, what she had said about Higurashi had caused him a shadow of doubt. Although the girl had no serious miko powers of her own, her bloodline as a descendant of Kikyo the White Miko still made her a frustrating obstacle in his otherwise-perfect plans. It was definitely a possibility that she knew where the Shikon no Tama had been kept, safe and unthreatened, for these last ten years.

The dark youkai scoffed at himself. It was a testament to Sango's mind games that he was even considering the possibility of her words being true. He would have to commend her when he spoke to her next.

The knife slid lightly against the ivory-white skin of Naraku's wrist, drawing back leisurely before cutting sharply across the veins, drawing blood immediately. The crimson droplets ran down the blade and skin to be caught by the small bowl set underneath, staining the polished wood a deep burgundy colour. His eyes followed the flow of the liquid emotionlessly, mentally measuring the amount of blood lost.

As suddenly as he had cut the wound, Naraku pulled his wrist away from the bowl and muttered a few words over the wound, causing it to glow faintly purple before closing and fading until a light scar was all that remained. He then turned back to the bowl, gracefully retrieving a small vial of rust-coloured powder from within his robes. From this he took a pinch and dusted it over the fresh blood contained within the wooden hemisphere. The blood darkened dramatically, turning almost black before flashing rapidly and becoming completely white and opaque. He dipped a cautious finger in the liquid and tasting it on the tip of his tongue before nodding in satisfaction. All was ready.

The dark youkai drew closer to the stone, not bothering to check for cracks; he had already examined the rock three times and found no flaw. Instead, he carefully submerged the tip of his middle finger and, sweeping his long dark hair out of the way, began to carefully draw the first line of the spell's heart-rune.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sango sat hugging her knees, staring blankly at the stone walls that teasingly reminded her of what _really_ held her captive inside this wretched prison. Her brown eyes were distant, almost trance-like in their cast.

Naraku would be arriving soon, and with him her final moments of freedom. She sighed, leaning her forehead against her knees tiredly, the white and red miko robes that clothed her muscular body hanging limply and beginning to show signs of wear and dirt. Even her usually so-carefully arranged hair was coming loose from its ties, though she made no effort to tidy it.

"Hm…"

She looked up, started out of her exhaustion by an unfamiliar voice. Her dark brown eyes searched the room frantically for a moment before coming to rest on the woman who stood just in front of her prison, taking in her appearance at a glance. She was of medium height, with raven hair tied up in a knot at the back of her head, pretty crimson eyes, and the pointed features of a youkai. She was dressed in a fine kimono, dismissing the possibility that she was a servant who had accidentally stumbled into the room on her own. Almost immediately, however, Sango's attention was drawn to her face, which bore an emotionless, bored expression, and the strangely heavy-looking fan that her slender fingers toyed with slowly, perfect nails tracing up and down the wooden edges with practiced grace.

"Who are you?" the miko asked tiredly, her face openly displaying the exhaustion she was feeling. A sleepless night worrying about Kohaku and Kagome (as well as poor Souta who was no doubt out on his own) had left her feeling drained and listless. She was almost certain that, if Naraku were to show himself, she would be quite unable to engage in her usual glaring exercises out of sheer fatigue.

The woman tossed the fan lightly into the air, causing it to spin once before falling neatly into her hand with a snap. "I am the one they call the Wind User…Kagura," she replied slowly, her crimson eyes flickering over Sango's person with a critical gaze.

The miko's mind raced, though she hid her flickering thoughts behind an emotionless mask. Kagura…huh? There was something familiar about that name…ah. That was it: she was one of Naraku's army's top generals…she and another woman by the name of Kanna (for strange reasons of his own, Naraku's leaders were both women, which definitely pointed at some perverse personal quirk in his personality). She was a dangerous youkai, very strong, and had a notorious ability to manipulate the very air to her will. Despite her feminine appearance, she was not someone to take lightly.

With a jerk, she realised that the youkai's gaze hadn't moved at all, and the crimson eyes were still focused on her intently. She met them squarely, albeit tiredly, and sighed. "What is it you want?" she asked, her tone easily wearied.

The orbs did not move, and Kagura remained silent for a substantial period before replying. The corner of her lips twitched upward faintly as she answered slowly, "You are interesting…yes. I think you will do."

Sango blinked in surprise. What was she talking about…? Do? For what?

"What-"

But before she could phrase the question fully, the wind youkai turned her back on the miko and left the room. If anything, this confused her almost as much as the answer had. What was she up to…?

Somehow, Sango got the distinct impression that an important event had taken place, with only her and Kagura as witnesses, though she couldn't for the life of her understand the implications of the dark youkai's actions. None of the players in this game, it seemed, were exactly what they pretended to be…

Including herself.

She shook her head, putting a hand to her forehead as a deterrent to the headache she felt coming on. Things were getting more complicated than ever...

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The sidetrack, it turned out, had worked as a shortcut.

Kagome sighed appreciatively. For once, it seemed that they had stumbled on some good fortune…

She clamped down on the thought immediately. It didn't do to jinx things…especially when they needed all the lucky breaks they could get.

They were beginning to run short on water, and when she had asked Inuyasha how far they were from the next Gate, he had merely growled at her angrily, and told her to stop asking stupid question. Typical of him, in any case, though it didn't make her feel any better in the present situation.

She gave him a brief sideways glance before looking back down to the floor for signs of unusual floorstones, just like she had been for the last few hours already. His behaviour had her a little worried: it seemed like he was brooding over something, though she couldn't guess at what held his attention so completely. The hanyou had, of course, blamed her for their little fall first, before shutting up like a clam. Already, she couldn't decide if this was a good or bad thing, though she wished to avoid his ire as often as possible; it was impossible, she had learned, to avoid it altogether.

Suddenly, her hanyou companion stopped short, ears flicking madly while his golden-yellow eyes narrowed suspiciously. Kagome stopped too, looking at him with curiosity and apprehension. Usually, such a reaction couldn't mean anything good for the two of them…

"Wall shift," Inuyasha stated, half growling in reply to the unasked question.

The Runner smacked her forehead into the palm of her hand. Voila. Instant catapult reaction. It was almost like the labyrinth was a living entity that toyed with them purposefully. How else could their present strain of good and bad luck continue like it had?

Already, her ears could pick up the distant sound of rumbling walls. If she concentrated carefully, she could feel the vibrations passing through her feet as a faint zinging sensation that spread through the soles and ran up her calves before fading. And they were getting stronger with each passing moment…

The white-haired youth wasted no such time. Already, he was off, bounding down the passage with the natural-born grace and speed that the girl envied. She shook her head sharply, turning her full attention to the task at hand: desperate, all-out running.

A moment of moving at the pace brought her in stride with the hanyou, a fact that he registered with the tiniest tilt of his head and flicker of amber-gold eyes. As if taking this as a sign of compliance, he increased his speed, leaving her to run behind.

Kagome frowned, barely suppressing the urge to growl in fair imitation of her companion. He was doing it on purpose!

Behind them, the sound of rearranging stones was growing from a faint grating and thumping to a full roar, warning her to leave irritation to a less serious moment. She ducked her head, ignoring the faint stinging on her face caused by her loose hair, trying to increase her speed as much as possible. To her surprise, she succeeded; it appeared that her body was actually beginning to strengthen and adapt to the strange prison.

However, there was something different this time from the last wall shift she had experienced, though it was impossible for her to identify what it was. The shift was moving faster, the roaring approaching at a disconcerting speed. Already, the shaking caused by dropping stones was jarring her moving legs more and more with each passing moment. Inuyasha was still bounding slightly ahead, meaning that she had been correct in her thinking that he was setting his own pace merely to irritate her. All told, if worst came to worst, the only one who could possibly suffer in this shift was the Runner herself. The hanyou could just increase his speed completely and outdistance the shift completely.

Yet he was staying back…could it be that he was doing so for her? Immediately, the girl abolished the thought. If that was the case, he would have just picked her up like he had before and gotten them out of harm's way by now. What was he thinking…?

To her immense frustration, she found that, once again, she couldn't even hazard a guess.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

What's wrong with me…? 

Inuyasha's ears flicked back, carefully gauging the distance of the shift from his own position. At the present speed that he was keeping, it would be a few moments before the wall-stones would overtake him.

Strangely, he found that the fact didn't hold any emotion for him other than a strange relief. Even a hanyou would be hard-pressed to escape a Second Precident shift unscathed, and even then, only if he tried with every last bit of determination he possessed…

Why am I seeing this…? Why…all these people dying, and my hands are stained with blood… 

  
For a moment, it was just him and the simple decision. He could put up an impression of trying, to placate the stubborn ego that demanded his victory over any obstacle presented by this place. He could let go, while still maintaining the appearance that he had actually put up a fight. Or he could continue with this strange battle…a fight he found was holding less and less purpose. Everything had changed…he didn't even really know what he was fighting for or against anymore, the labyrinth having robbed him of ten years of his life. Kikyo was gone, having betrayed him first. What was actually left to fight for…?

I…I'm killing them…all of them. Worse, I'm enjoying it…What's happening? What have I done…? 

It would be so easy…

…And yet, he couldn't. That little piece of stubborn will that had managed to keep burning wouldn't let it be so easy. Plus…

Are these…dreams? Or are they memories…? 

The sound of running footsteps behind his own brought him back to the present. There was still a chance that he could have the last laugh, and get rid of this strange emptiness inside at the same time. He couldn't give up on that quite yet. The Shikon no Tama was still within his grasp, and he wasn't willing to let it slip through his fingers again.

Do I really want to know…? 

He leapt.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Kagome looked up to see that the hanyou was no longer in front of her. She cursed, ignoring the fact that doing so was something completely out of her usual habit range. After all, the stupid half-demon had just scampered, leaving her to die alone.

Alone being a state of being that she hated.

To her surprise, she felt the pricking of tears at the corners of her eyes. Not for being alone, but more for being afraid. She could already tell that her present pace wasn't going to be enough to carry her out of the shift, and that there was no help coming for her. The feeling of helplessness was, possibly, what urged her to cry most of all. There was nothing she could do to save herself, and she knew it.

_Stupid Inuyasha! I thought we had a deal…_the shuddering breath she expelled was almost a sob.

…A sob that was suddenly cut short as she felt the almost-familiar sensation of being gripped in powerful arms and her feet no longer touching the ground. She blinked in surprise, gripping automatically on to the bare forearm as the other arm hooked itself under her knees before the air was moving rapidly and the sound of the wall shift gradually fading away.

She didn't have to look back to know who had saved her once again, though she sneaked a swift glance over her shoulder anyway. Inuyasha's eyes were focused directly forward, mouth set in a determined line with his firm chin jutted slightly outward in sheer stubbornness. Their pace was so fast that his usually heavy hair was swept back from his profile completely, leaving it completely unobstructed for the first time.

Kagome's breath caught. There was something about him at that moment that suggested completely untamed and wild beauty…the kind of beauty possessed by predatory animals in the wilderness of the world, such as panthers and wolves.

Immediately, she turned back forward again, cheeks slightly flushed. She wasn't supposed to think like that of him…he was supposed to be the violent, circumstantial guide who she was deceiving into helping her escape the labyrinth.

Deceiving…she barely kept herself from shuddering. It was so unlike her to put her own ends above all else like this…she didn't relish the idea of lying to someone so blatantly. Especially someone who was putting their person through so much on her behalf, and risking their own body to save her time and time again…

Someone she was beginning to trust.

With a start, she realized that the last thought was completely and unblinkingly true. She was beginning to trust Inuyasha.

…Which was dangerous, seeing as at any moment he could tire of waiting for her to "lead" him to the Shikon no Tama and merely abandon her in the middle of the labyrinth to fend for herself.

Even worse, she trusted that he wouldn't do that to her…thus the reason for her hurt feelings when she had thought that he had left her to die in the wall shift.

  
She turned her face forward, gripping onto his forearm slightly more firmly. It was definitely going to be more difficult to carry out her original plan now.

Ahead, the passage seemed to break out into a larger room, for which the Runner was grateful. An end to the passage meant an end to the wall shift…soon, they would be out of its reach.

Almost subconsciously, Inuyasha's pace quickened, carrying them free of the corridor in six seconds flat. Kagome felt almost winded by the speed, gratefully sucking in air as the hanyou performed turn in midair, skidding to a halt about ten feet away from the passage mouth.

A mere seven seconds or so later, the re-arranging stones reached the entrance of the corridor, thudding into place with frightening speed. In what seemed like two breaths, the huge blocks had arranged themselves completely into a new passage, one hidden behind a solid stone wall.

The two companions stood in front of what had been a corridor entrance, both breathing heavily. In the aftermath of the shift, everything seemed unusually silent, even or the tomb-like stillness that usually shrouded the prison, broken only by their harsh breathing.

Then Inuyasha let go of Kagome's knees without warning, causing the girl to let out a surprised squeak as she was harshly forced to find her own feet. Barely had she done so when he withdrew his arm, pulling away from her completely.

The girl huffed, turning to him. "Mou, you could have warned me, you know. What-"

Immediately, she stopped, taking a cautious step forward with one hand outstretched. "Inuyasha…what's wrong?" she asked, a slightly worried frown etched on her features.

The hanyou had one clawed hand clutching his stomach tightly while the other massaged his forehead in deep strokes. His whole body was curled into itself, though he remained on his feet, albeit barely. One of his ears twitched at her question, though he gave no indication that he had absorbed what she had said. Instead, he stumbled over to the wall, leaning against it heavily while an expression of pain creased his face.

"Inuyasha!"

Immediately she was at his side, barely refraining from touching him and respecting the boundary that had been obvious even from his moments as the white dog that had accompanied her originally.

He seemed to be unaware of her presence, rubbing hard at his head almost as if it was going to split in half. "Blood…so much blood…" he whispered, more to himself than her, and so softly that she almost missed the words completely.

She moved back, stunned. What did he mean? Her features hardened. Whatever it was, it was hurting him…she _had_ to do something to help.

Her hand on his shoulder was gentle, almost making no contact whatsoever. "Inuyasha…" she said quietly, rubbing his shoulder softly, "Inuyasha…come on. Snap out of it…"

In her worry, she never noticed the light glow that illuminated her hand momentarily before sinking into the hanyou's shoulder, leaving no trace.  
  
She was beginning to think that her actions had had no effect when he suddenly stiffened before twisting away from her hand a moment later. His face turned to look at her, anger flashing clearly in the amber-gold eyes. "Don't touch me!" he snarled.

The girl backed off, though worry still reflected itself in her eyes. "What's wrong, Inuyasha?" she asked, the offending hand curled into her chest.

He turned away, tossing his silver hair roughly over his shoulder with a shake of his head. "Nothing. Just…nothing," he muttered, almost sulkily.

Irritation crept into Kagome's voice. "That was _definitely_ not 'nothing'!" she shot back, following as he strode away from the wall towards the centre of the chamber.

He ignored her comment, lengthening his stride to carry him ahead of her so that all she would have the pleasure of addressing was his back. If anything, this made Kagome even angrier.

"First, you almost let us die in a wall shift for some strange reason of your own, _then_ you look like you're having a spasm attack of some kind, and _then_ you have the_ audacity_ to tell me that it's _nothing!?_" she raved, glaring at his back with the most penetrating evil eye she possessed. Only half-consciously did she notice that his language was beginning to have a serious detrimental effect on her own.

"The _least_ you could do is just _warn_ me-"

"Will you shut up, wench!?" the hanyou spat at her, turning a blazing death glare of his own back at her, "After all your bitchy whining, you'd think it'd be enough that we actually reach the Second Gate…"

"What!?" the girl exclaimed, thrown off by the comment, "Where!?"

Inuyasha gave her a look that clearly inquired as to if she was the dimmest being in the universe. "Look down, wench," he said tonelessly.

She complied, then did a double-take, letting out a small gasp.

Before them was a circular pit in the chamber floor, roughly eight feet deep. At the bottom, like a shining pool of moonbeams, the gate sat, shifting gently in the same way that the First Gate had. Only, this one was completely horizontal, and at the bottom of a considerable drop…

Already, the hanyou was stepping back, measuring his distance. The girl turned to him immediately, gripping at his arm sharply.

"You don't mean that we're just going to _jump_ down there, do you?" she asked, slight uncertainty creeping into her tone, "I mean, you can land it, being youkai and all, but-"

Inuyasha shook off her grip, emitting a sigh of exasperation. "Keh, weak humans…so much trouble to keep around…" he muttered under his breath.

Suddenly and without warning, he seized her wrist, gripping slightly above the hand with his own, and leaping directly out into the centre of the pit. Kagome had little time to react; even as her mind registered the fact that they were seemingly floating in midair, the slight tingling sensation was closing around her body before completely engulfing her body as the two of them passed through the Second Gate.

As her feet made contact with the stones on the other side, the Runner could not help but entertain one thought:

Even if she was beginning to trust the inu-hanyou, it was incredibly and glaringly apparent that he was a far distance from feeling the same way towards her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

That's it, minna!^^ Wow…finished the whole last part in one night! *yawns* As well, hopefully this isn't too much of a let-down after the long delay…nothing extremely spectacular to make it all worthwhile…-_-;;;. Once again, I don't think the next chapter will suddenly materialize itself within the next week or so, seeing as my entire Christmas break will be spent in the worthy cause of helping me regain a regular sleeping schedule.

OMG…that's close to eighteen spelling errors in the last two minutes…I'd better wrap this up fast before I fall asleep on my keyboard.

As you can probably see, the main theme of this chapter (and, maybe the whole fic) is trust…mainly the trust between Inuyasha and Kagome, and the way it evolves throughout the story…much in the same way it does in the manga. (Hopefully, this will be nowhere near as long as round-about as the manga…otherwise we'd be here another four years still -_-;;;). If you guys didn't already guess…Inuyasha is beginning to remember all the things he did when running loose as a demon…if you care to remember, in both the anime and manga, he doesn't really remember his actions when he is taken over by his demon blood (thus, the origin of the idea). Hopefully I've made that clear to all those who would otherwise be asking: "Why is Inuyasha going crazy all of a sudden?" ^^;;;

And…we have come to the Soundtrack of the Chapter…type…thingy. Ah well, you all know the drill…those who give a damn: read, those who don't: scroll.

"Metallica" (Self-titled…also called "The Black Album") ~ by Metallica. Yes, I finally got my grubby little paws on a copy, and finished the whole chapter to the sweet sounds of "The God That Failed", "Don't Tread on Me", "Friend of Misery", "The Struggle Within", and "Of Wolf and Man" (ah…that song will always work so well for this ficcy…^^)

"Master of Puppets" ~ by Metallica…as usual, "Sanitarium (Welcome Home)" et al. This whole CD is on repeat constantly, and I NEVER skip songs on this one…^^;;;

"System of a Down" ~ by System of a Down…mainly the two songs "Peephole" and "Spiders".

"Songs for the Deaf" ~ by Queens of the Stone Age…the songs "Hanging tree", "Songs for the Deaf", "Mosquito Song", and "First it Giveth", mostly.

And that's all that I can remember, seeing as the beginning was written somewhere near three months ago…-_-;;; Ah well, there's always next chapter for an accurate list.

  
Next chapter is "Chapter 8: Firerat". Three guesses as to what it means, and the first two don't count…^^;;; This time, I won't make ANY guess as to when it'll be finished, because it'll probably end up being a blatant lie.

Ja ne till next chapter!

Arigato gozaimasu for reading! *bows* (_ _)

~Jurei-chan^6


	8. Firerat

Hyo-hyo minna! Yes…I've finally managed to push all the other crap in my life away long enough to not only read, but update too!^^ As time goes on, it becomes increasingly difficult to do so, but hopefully I'll be able to finish this fic before I turn twenty…-_-;;;

Anyways, I'll try to keep this relatively short. Things of interest…hn…Metallica came to town, and tickets sold out in 20 minutes flat. You might also want to note the irony that Ticketmaster cut me off, thereby thwarting my chances of buying . However, my mom is letting me fly out to their next concert date…^^

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all related characters, etc. DON'T BELONG TO ME…and the last time I checked, wishing was in no way against the law or prosecutable in front of judge and jury. If it is…well, lets just say that I've got a LOT of notebook paper in which to doodle said pursuers into horrible Mary-Sue mangas, and sick my strangely demented, rabid chibis on them.

And ya…Inuyasha's potty mouth = not my fault, and this chapter starts a little differently for once…purposely, I usually have them go in a formula of Naraku/Sango's actions, then Inuyasha/Kagome's actions, etc. However, for the sake of inspiration, the formula will be different this time.

Now…to the fic!^^

Labyrinth

_~An Inuyasha fanfiction story presented by Jurei~_

Chapter 8: Firerat

~**Excerpt from the Book of Eight, passages 7:6 onward.** …And there was upon the island a war that divided the eight major gods to either side of the battlefield, sundering the land into eight realms. The power of creation stood alone at the centre, surrounded by chaos. Each realm answered to one god alone, and the men who lived within each realm were held to the land by the jealousy of the gods above. As the battle raged in the celestial realms, two of the gods began to emerge as the strongest: Urugath, the Warrior; and Haldirth, the DeadWaker. Gradually, each gathered the other gods behind them in equal numbers, until only one god remained alone with no allegiance: Itaisho, the Builder. He remained distant from the conflict, caring for the races of men and youkai. 

_After one hundred years of war, Urugath emerged victorious, defeating Haldirth with the feared Demon Blade Tetsusaiga, crafted by the Firesmith Toutousai from living metals existing only within the power of creation. Urugath then used the power of creation to craft a prison for those gods who had opposed him._

_Into the stones he poured his resourcefulness, his wrath, and his bloodlust. He filled the walls with purpose: to punish all those who opposed their master to the full extent of their abilities, and gifted the very stones with a temporary consciousness that would allow the prison to outthink its opponents. Finally, he sealed the twisting passages with his remaining power, causing the stones to absorb the powers of lesser gods as time wore on._

_Then, Urugath cast the wounded Haldirth and his allies into the prison, which he christened the Labyrinth, telling them that he would grant them forgiveness upon their escape from its walls. All except the DeadWaker, upon which he placed a curse: for as long as the power of the eight major gods was evident throughout the island, he and his descendants would never be able to leave its shores…**~**_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The thundering of hoofbeats against hard-packed earth caused the dark-haired boy to jolt suddenly awake, sitting bolt upright with wide eyes.

He turned soundlessly, peering between the leaves to watch the mounted regiment gallop past his hiding place on the road below. Only when they were out of his sight and the dust that they had stirred in their passing had settled did he allow himself a sigh of relief.

The patrols were becoming more and more frequent as he neared the capital, further proving what he already knew: Naraku would be taking no chances, even if the general populace was too scared to even break curfew in order to use the latrine.

Souta sighed, drawing the threadbare cloak closer round his shoulders to ward off the dawn chill. He was stiff and cold, already regretting his decision to sleep in a tree. Sure, it was doubtful that Naraku's lackeys would go though the trouble of checking trees for curfew breakers, but he just _knew_ that his next hiding place would probably be just as uncomfortable.

A few crusts of stale bread were all the recognition that he gave his rumbling stomach, barely enough to waken a growing boy's appetite. Instead, he tightened his belt about his middle and scrambled down from the tree, peering about cautiously. According to his last measure, he had fifteen minutes before the next guard patrol would pass, giving him a small window of opportunity. The sun had not yet risen, meaning that he had the advantage of shadows on his side. It would be a while before he would have to worry about the sunlight and the chances of the squads having a neko-youkai's incredible vision at their disposal.

The ground was cold to his sandal-feet, causing a small shiver to creep up his spine. Wasting no time, the boy set out, keeping to the trees as he followed the twisting road north, a concentrated frown on his face.

Above, the leaves cast a dark pattern against the lightening sky, whispering omens of rain and storms to the chill wind.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The stiff material of Naraku's hakama swept against the gray stones of the floor, serving to highlight the fact that his footsteps were almost silent. Dark and forbidding, he cast an intimidating figure in front of the two youkai that walked two steps behind him on either side. Sango could not help but grudgingly admit that she was slightly impressed.

The two youkai stopped wordlessly at the same time as their leader did, gazes fixed straight ahead, faces emotionless. Naraku ignored them completely, looking down at the miko with a superior gaze that unconsciously made her grit her teeth.

"Ohayo, Sango-chan. I am here to hear your decision."

The gritted teeth ground together harder at the blatant insult implied by his familiarity, though she tried her hardest not to allow her irritation to show on her face. "I appreciate your consideration," she ground out, "that you would follow the technicality of hearing my opinion."

The dark youkai's mouth twitched into a smirk that gave the miko the sudden urge to slap him. Hard.

"Welcome to our humble group then, Sango-chan," he said, tossing his dark hair over his shoulder arrogantly. He then turned away, gesturing with one hand for her to follow him.

Sango sighed, making a quick gesture with her fingers and whispering a single word. The rune hung in the air, unsuspended, before glowing briefly and spreading across the barrier like a spider web. Moments later, the barrier shattered, falling into countless pieces that melted into the stone without leaving a trace.

Wordlessly she strode to his side, refusing blatantly to give him the satisfaction of following submissively behind him. His smirk deepened, causing her to scream mentally.

"I would like you to meet my two captains," he said, casting a dismissive hand towards each of the youkai as he introduced them. "This is Kagura, and the other one is Kanna. Both are useful in their own right."

Kagura's face betrayed nothing as she gave a curt nod, something which warned Sango that it would probably be better for both of them if she pretended that she had never met the woman before either. She therefore returned the nod, trying to show no recognition in her expression.

  
Kanna came as a surprise to the miko. She had expected another woman, someone slightly similar to Kagura, in any case. What she found looking back at her expressionlessly was, instead, what she would have called a child, were it not for the lifeless eyes. The girl, as Sango was forced to classify her, wore a fully white yukata, holding a mirror directly infront of her chest with both hands gripping the silver frame carefully. Her hair was white and mid-length…somewhat like the rest of her except for her eyes, which were a deep, emotionless black. All in all, she reminded the miko of a ghost.

"Come now, Sango-chan…we have work to do," Naraku's voice cut through her thoughts, causing her to turn towards the dark youkai.

Her eyes met the crimson orbs directly, and she felt the urge to shiver at the darkness she saw, as well as the promises of what was to come.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Outside of the dank cell, clanking footsteps approached, alerting the occupant to the presence of the guards well before the man's voice called out.

"Oi! You, there! Get up! We've got orders to move you out!"

  
The squeaking of rusted hinges, as well as the scraping of an aged key turning in the lock, caused the dishevelled head to turn, raising hesitantly as one of the guards entered. The rest soon followed as the man prodded the prisoner with his spear. "Come on…we don't have all day! Get up!"

Once standing at full height, it became clear that the cell occupant was a boy of roughly thirteen. He wore a dirty tunic that was beginning to fray, as well as a ponytail that had come half-undone. He blinked blearily at the guard before attempting to speak, his voice raspy with disuse.

"What's happening…whose orders?"

The man looked about ready to smack the boy across the face, though all he did was prod him with the spear once more. "Naraku-sama's, though it's none of your business…supposedly, you're not to be harmed until he gives the word…something about a deal with the miko…not like we're told much, anyway."

The boy went willingly, ducking his head as he stepped through the rusted doorway. Outside, the guards formed themselves into an experienced formation around him: too far for him to reach out and grab, but close enough to catch him if he attempted to run.

_Not like they really need to…I'm not stupid,_ Kohaku thought, though he said nothing. Instead, his mind centred on one thought, the sadness and dismay showing plainly on his face; he had never really mastered hiding his emotions like his sister had.

Onee-chan…what have you done…? 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The labyrinth on this side of the gate looked slightly different…the walls were a bit more worn, the floor stones a little less even. Overall, Kagome thought it looked older…almost like it was a different section altogether.

"From here on in, things get even more dangerous," Inuyasha stated, though his voice came out as a quiet growl. The girl sighed, placing a hand to her forehead and kneading thoughtfully.

More _dangerous?__ Why can't it _ever _be_ good _news?_ She wondered to herself.

The hanyou paid her no heed as he instead began to walk ahead, as was his usual style. She sighed before trotting to catch up and not be left behind. Moments later, she couldn't help but voice one of her concerns, mentally flinching at the expected reaction from her companion. "Is there another water source by this gate? We seem to be running a little short…"

To her surprise, Inuyasha merely replied tonelessly with a slightly preoccupied air.

"Yeah…I know. There's one up ahead."

  
Kagome was unsure whether to be glad at her unusual fortune, or concerned. It was so unlike him…she decided to keep silent on the matter, remembering his reaction to the last time she had shown concern: before their drop through the gate.

All in all, it was a slightly uncomfortable silence that engulfed the two as they proceeded down the passage. The hanyou's golden eyes moved restlessly, seemingly searching for something among the wallstones.

Their sudden halt came as a surprise to the Runner, though she was half aware that she was getting better at not bumping into the irritable inu-youkai when their progress stopped. Instead, she only continued on for one more step past the place where Inuyasha had turned to face the wall, stretching out a clawed hand to feel the stones critically. She was by his side in time to see the callused fingers disappear into the stone, as if the stones weren't there at all.

"What…an illusion?" she asked carefully, throwing a questioning glance at her companion.

He gave a swift nod, pushing his arm fully into the wall before following it with his body. Moments later, Kagome found herself standing next to empty air, alone in the passage.

She blinked. Really…how had he known? The wall looked exactly the same as the rest of the passage…

Metally steeling herself for what she knew came next, she clenched a hand to her chest, reaching the other out hesitantly to touch the stones. They felt solid enough to her fingers, though she could feel the buzz of magic pass through her fingers upon contact.

_It's not really here, is it?_ She thought to herself, _this whole section…it's just an illusion…Inuyasha just passed through it. The rocks are not really here at all…_

She was only half-conscious to the strange feeling as her fingers began to pass through the stones, focusing completely on the mental affirmation. _It's not real…_

Her arm was now through the wall; soon, her body followed. Upon opening her eyes, she found herself to be standing on the other side of the wall, next to a slightly irritated hanyou.

"Keh…talk about slow. Come on," he gestured, turning his back on her as soon as he was sure that she was following. The Runner noted that his preoccupation hadn't completely disappeared…what could be causing it? She was frustrated to admit that she hadn't the foggiest idea.

The passage sloped downward, making the going slightly easier on Kagome's legs, for which she was grateful. Even though her muscles were probably measures stronger than they had been when she had first entered the labyrinth, they still ached when Inuyasha allowed them to rest. Something that still made her feel slightly resentful…she shook her head. He was entitled: after all, he _was_ the one leading the way, therefore it only made sense that he set the pace. If only he didn't take so much darn _pleasure_ in moving at inhuman pace…

The glinting of torchlight off of the surface of water first alerted Kagome to their proximity to their destination. She quickened her pace, almost outdistancing Inuyasha in her rush to get to the space ahead. Instead, he sped up with a growl, giving her the distinct impression that he refused to let her beat him out of a strange childish pride. She grinned slightly, speeding up as well.

When they reached the circular chamber, both were running. Inuyasha bounding ahead with superhuman speed and entered first, turning to her with a triumphant expression.

The Runner placed her hands on her knees, catching her breath, before looking up and fixing him with a slight frown. "You cheated!" she accused.

He turned away, crossing his arms, though she could almost have sworn that his mouth had briefly twitched into a slight smirk. "Keh…not my fault that you're human…deal with it."

God…if he were any more childish, he would have stuck out his tongue at her…Kagome couldn't help but giggle.

The action took them both by surprise, stopping abruptly to be replaced by shocked expressions on both face. The girl turned away, feeling odd. When was the last time she had laughed? She couldn't remember, though she felt that it had been long before she had found herself in the labyrinth…

"Hurry up and fill the water holder," the hanyou's harsh statement cut through her thoughts like a knife, bringing her back to the present with a jolt. She gave him a slightly irritated glance before moving to comply.

When she had finished drinking her fill and filling the flagon with the precious liquid, she looked around to find that Inuyasha was gone. No…not gone…he had moved ahead into the passage ahead, though he wasn't moving now. He had stopped and seemed to be focused on something…

She got to her feet, walking quickly ove to join him. His concentration was so complete that she saw him jolt with surprise when he noticed her next to him. Her grey eyes looked at him with concern, though his face was turned away.

  
"Inuyasha…what-"

"It's nothing."

This time, Kagome was not ready to give up so easily.

"Will you stop acting so macho for just one second!?" she snapped, pulling his face to look at her, "there is obviously something wrong with you…will you just tell me what it is!? I promise I won't do anything but listen, if that is what you want…after all, there is very few people I could possibly tell, seeing as we have not encountered any so far!"

Inuyasha's golden eyes burned into hers for a moment before they shifted away, as if uncomfortable. "Fine…stupid, stubborn…keh! If you want to know so fucking much…"

He turned, grabbing her wrist and pulling her towards a gap in the wall that she had previously missed. In fact, it wasn't so hard to miss, even with knowing it was there…it was narrow and shallow, more of an alcove than another chamber.

Wordlessly, the hanyou let go of her wrist and jabbed a harsh finger into the space, turning away and crossing his arms in what was becoming, to Kagome's mind, his signature pose.

"What-" she began, and stopped, words escaping her thoughts as she beheld what lay inside.

A huge skeleton took up most of the space in the alcove, which she was beginning to realize was not naturally a part of the labyrinth, but a gap punched into the wall itself. Around it, chunks of stone littered the ground, further proving that whatever the figure had been in life had probably created the space in the midst of its death throes.

"Inuyasha…who…_what_ is it…?" she asked hesitantly, eyes still fixed on the empty eye sockets.

"Gyuou," he answered, though his voice was slightly muffled and distant. "He was the original Beast of the Labyrinth."

She turned to him in surprise, though he still had his back turned to her. "Original? He must have been enormous…what happened to him?"

This time, the hanyou was silent for a moment before answering. "I killed him."

Kagome's mouth shut with a snap. There was something he wasn't saying…but she counted herself lucky to even know this much. He had opened up to her…even if it was only slightly.

She stood up wordlessly and began to turn away when something caught her eye. She stopped, narrowing her eyes and trying to make out what it was.

Inuyasha was already moving away, but she paid him no heed for once, stepping into the alcove instead. Once inside, she made her way carefully, avoiding bones and rock as she neared the object with curiosity.

"Oi! Wench! What the hell do you think you're doing!? Get back here!"

Kagome ignored him, cautiously taking the last few steps before stepping out into the strangely clear area beneath the huge skeleton hand that clutched the item.

"Didn't you hear me?" the hanyou's voice was strangely hushed next to her. She gave him a half glance, noting that he had crossed the room in a single bound, as usual.

"I wanted to see what that was…" she said, pointing to the hand.

Inuyasha's eyes flickered quickly in the direction she indicated before stopping on the object as if frozen. Then he leapt, balancing precariously on the bones of the ribcage while snatching it deftly out of the skeletal grip.

"How…I thought it was too shredded to mend…" he whispered, almost too quietly for the girl's ears to make out.

"What is it?" she asked, both curious and somewhat apprehensive.

He didn't answer, focusing instead on pulling whatever it was over his shoulders and fastening the ties. He then turned away from the immense skeleton, gripping the girl's arm and crossing the alcove in one bound again.

Her gaze was slightly confused, eyes showing more than a little surprise. "A haori?"

He let go of her arm almost immediately, as was his custom, letting her regain her balance on her own. "It was mine…a long time ago. It's made from the skin of the Fire rat…stronger than any wimpy human armour."

She nodded, still not quite absorbing what he was saying. It was slightly strange to see the companion who had worn nothing but a pair of hakama for as long as she had known him fully covered…and all in red to boot.

Inuyasha pushed her ahead, and she complied, shock wearing off enough to know that there was some reason why he didn't mind conceding to her his usual place at the head of their little party.

Kagome picked up her pack from the place where she had dropped it when her companion had pulled her away, checking the bag carefully to make sure that the flagon had suffered no damage and, satisfied, proceeded to wait for the hanyou further down the passage.

When he did join her, she said nothing about the dust flecking his new haori, or about the sound of falling stones that had echoed through the passage moments before.

He strode ahead, aknowledging her in grateful silence.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Well, that's it, minna…not TOO much on the part of Kagome and Inuyasha, though I hope to write some more with them in the next part. I decided to put some other stuff in for once…like exactly what's going on with Souta and Kohaku, for instance. Hopefully you enjoyed it anyway and weren't overly disappointed…^^;;;

Ahh…saw LotR: Return of the King on opening day…LEGOLAS! *squeals* Ahh, he rocks!^^ Anyways, this update came unusually promptly…which is a rarity, and I advice that you all not take this as an example, because it's one of those once-in-a-blue-moon things. My life actually calmed down enough for me to sit at my labtop and plunk keys without being called away to some other activity almost immediately. Once again, I don't even want to venture a guess at when chapter 9 will be out.

To answer shatteredjade's question…there are seven gates. Unlike the labyrinth in the Death Gate Cycle…I thought it best to put a limit on the number of gates, seeing as the labyrinth in here is a prison and not an entire world. Also, it would stretch the story on for about as long as the actual manga if I went with the books so closely…^^;;;

…Soundtrack drill! *pulls out fireman's hat and plonks it on her head*

This chapter was written to the sweet sounds of:

"Nevermind"~ by Nirvana, especially…well, the whole freaking CD. On repeat. Several, SEVERAL times. -_-;;; Lets just say that I love Nirvana enough to actually worship at a Kurt shrine, were there such a thing in existence. Next to Metallica, they're probably the greatest band ever. ^^ (Okay…maybe I listened to "Territorial Pissings", "On a Plain", "Lithium", "Polly", and "Drain You" a LEETLE more than the others…mainly cause I've heard them less frequently than "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and "Come As You Are"…^^;;;)

"In Utero" ~by Nirvana. Hehe, I got both CDs for Christmas, so it's been a Nirvana holiday. Mostly, the tracks "Heart-shaped Box", "Rape Me", and "All Apologies".

"…And Justice For All" ~by the mighty Metallica. Another Christmas present (which I promptly huggled my mom to death over), I also listened to the whole thing several times. Most notable tracks are…well, I guess the intro to "Blackened", cause it's just so darned addictive, "One", "Harvester of Sorrows", "The Frayed Ends of Sanity", and "Dyers Eve".

Anyways…thankies to everyone who reviewed chapter 7…all your comments are extremely appreciated! To those who guessed at what's going to happen…thankies, because it helps me know how I'm handling the story, and how predictaly (or not) things are. To those who don't guess…thanks as well, because it would probably drive me crazy if every single person only submitted a guess and didn't mention anything else about the story (like improvements that could be made, or things that they love and shouldn't be changed, etc.) In any case, I love ALL the reviews…it's the most rewarding part!^^

Next chapter is "Chapter 9: Digging Deeper"…hopefully it'll get out some time before next summer. -_-;;;

Ja ne till then!

Arigato gozaimasu for reading! *bows* (_ _)

~Jurei-chan^6


	9. Digging Deeper

Hyo minna-san! I LIIIIIIIIIIIIIVVVVVVVEEEEEEEE! Gomen ne for making you all wait so long for this one! (-bows-). A HUUUGGGEEEE "thank you" to everyone that reviewed chapter eight, and many thanks for your kind comments and compliments. Also, gratitude for your questions and criticisms: these help me see what I haven't explained clearly enough, or forgotten to fill in, and helps improve the overall quality of the fic. I'll keep trying to write at the standard of care and quality that you guys all deserve. Thank you all!

Note: to answer the question held by a few of you…yes, Gyuou is actually a character from the Inuyasha anime. He never makes an appearance in the manga, but is an interesting character nonetheless. One of the only hanyou that the Inutachi encounter who is actually searching for the Shikon no Tama in order to achieve the opposite goal of Inuyasha: become human. He appears in eps. 52 and 53: "The Night of the New Moon pt.1 & pt.2". Despite my interest in his personality, though, I had a completely shallower reason for choosing him, being the fact that his youkai side takes the form of a gigantic two-legged bull. Also, when Inuyasha defeats him, he dies in a half-transition stage between human and bull, which immediately evoked images of the Minotaur from Greek mythology in my mind.

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all related characters/weapons/merchandise/American-produced (unauthentic) merchandise/badly dubbed English episodes, etc. do not belong to me. (looks back at previous list)…and I'm starting to feel a little relieved that they don't. As much as I love the series…I'm thinking that if I _were_ the owner, I wouldn't be sitting here writing this. Instead, I would be running for my life from all the North American/English-speaking fans that do not live in Japan and have been exposed to the scourge that is Richard Cox as our beloved inu-hanyou.

The Death Gate Cycle is property of Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman…two of the greatest authors alive. Read their stuff. Now. points at you, the reader The chapter will still be here when you get back…forget about this and go read their books. This can DEFINITELY wait. shoos you away

…and the moving walls idea comes courtesy of Ravensburger, possibly the greatest board game makers in the world.

And now that all the boring legal stuff is out of the way, to the ficcy!

* * *

Labyrinth-_An Inuyasha fanfiction presented by Jurei_- 

Chapter 9: Digging Deeper

* * *

**_-Taken from the Writings of Midoriko, first Miko of the Nameless Isle, during the Rule of Ryu Shirokiba, 110-_**

_…The interesting thing about gods is that they can be killed._

_Gods, unlike humans, posses an unlimited lifespan. Therefore, in the strictest terms, they are immortal. However, despite the fact that they technically created nature, they too have to abide to its rules. Even if their physical body is destroyed, a part of them will live on, similar to the human concept of a soul. This part is sustained through belief; if the belief dies, the god fades away completely._

_Of course, even if they have to abide to the rules of the natural world (and the frustrating little concept of order and balance created between all things that comes with it), it doesn't mean that they can't bend these rules a little._

_Thus the concept of god wars. Only gods can kill other gods, though a human or youkai can achieve the same goal with a god-made weapon. The definition of a weapon is completely up to the individual. This can mean anything from a sword like the legendary Tetsusaiga, to something as simple as a bamboo skewer executed with enough force. Such a weakness being so easy to exploit, the gods tend to be extremely careful in keeping this knowledge pretty well hidden, who they give gifts of any kind to, and knowing exactly where these people are when dinner time rolls around. Incidentally, there are only two major God weapons still in existence, the rest being destroyed by the Firesmith after the God War one hundred and ten years ago. The Demonblades Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga escaped destruction, presently thought to be in the possession of Itaisho, the Builder._

_But the important point is that Gods can be killed…_

_

* * *

_

This little-known fact was something that Sango planned to exploit to its full potential when the time was right.

It was becoming clearer and clearer to her that Naraku was no ordinary ambitious youkai. He seemed to have a specific goal in mind; every move he made was a calculated step forward towards _something_. What it was, she didn't know.

Complete control of the island he already had. There had to be something else he wanted…something he believed was unattainable through the power he currently held. Something that Sango could somehow help him obtain.

Not that she would actually help him willingly in any way shape or form. She had made a deal, and couldn't go back on her part of the bargain lest the dark youkai have Kohaku killed immediately. However, if there were the slightest chance for her to make things difficult short of openly breaking the rules to which she had herself agreed, she would seize it with both hands.

Something that Naraku no doubt knew.

Even now, as she climbed onto the provided horse with as much dignity as possible, she noted the twenty-plus demons and human servants in attendance, not to mention the archers posted on lookout atop the castle's outer walls. She very much doubted that the dark youkai summoned so many for a mere farewell.

She was effectively trapped, no doubt about that.

Behind the miko, Kagura and Kanna stood, watching her with impassive eyes. Sango noted, not without a tinge of envy, that Kagura was exceptionally good at hiding any emotion…and an incredible actress to boot. No doubt she had to be, what with Naraku as her master. So far, she didn't know what to make of Kanna…the girl-youkai hadn't uttered so much as a word since their first meeting.

At the fore of the group stood Naraku, already seated on his cobalt mount. His red gaze also followed the miko's movements, though a small smirk sat at the corner of his mouth, not quite stretching all the way across his lips.

Sango positively ached for the day that she could wipe that arrogant expression off his face.

"Let us go," he stated, seeing the miko effectively settled in the saddle. Without a word, the servants all backed away from the horses, and the mounts burst into a full canter, almost as if they had understood the command. The party was off.

Towards what, however, Sango couldn't even begin to guess.

* * *

The village was quiet; the kind of quiet that comes from being deathly afraid for one's life almost every moment of the day. The occupants, who might (under normal circumstances) have been friendly and somewhat rustic, wore the stone masks of defeat, and the heavy mantle of despair. The last almost-ten years of their lives had left them hardened, cold, worn. No child played in the streets, no laughter echoed through the dreary air. It seemed like nothing lived, except for the haunted figures that walked along the road, going through the motions of existence.

Souta watched the villagers from his shelter under the eaves of the inn, saw the broken spirits of the people. He sighed, the sound whistling quietly through the hissing of the rain though the air. Above him, it tapped against the roof, a wordless reminder of the time he was losing…the time that could mean his sister's life.

Despair spilled across his own face. Chances were that Naraku had already thrown her into the labyrinth…his mission was hopeless. She was already as good as dead to him. Her, Sango, Kohaku…all of them were gone, with little hope of return.

The young boy huddled further into the threadbare cloak. How many times had he had the same argument with himself…? It didn't matter. He had to try…even if it meant his own life. After all, without the other three members of the only family he had ever known, what was his life worth?

With determination and a conviction he hardly felt anymore, he slipped silently into the rain-drenched grayness and turned to the road. There would be no going back for him...

He stepped forward.

* * *

The dreams were back.

On the cold stone floor, Kagome stirred in her sleep, a light frown on her features. Through her troubled mind, images whirled like leaves in a gale. Images of people…memories…she knew that she should know some of them, but no recognition surfaced, other than a faint familiarity. One or two she could name, like Souta…he was the youth with her own dark hair, cropped short in a somewhat boyish way. His face was still slightly round with youth, but the leanness of hunger was beginning to wear through.

The girl with long, dark hair and warm brown eyes…woman, more like it. Sango…Nanase Sango, the White Miko. Kind almost to a fault, though her eyes could turn as unforgiving and cold as black ice when the need arose. It had been a long time since they hadn't found the need for such harshness.

Another youth…this one older, and with longer hair tied back at the top of his head. Part of a name whispered through her mind at the image…-haku. There was some connection, though she couldn't identify it. Only feel its edges, like a man groping a familiar face in the dark. So familiar…

And, finally, gleaming red eyes, shining through shadow out of a pale, fine face. As red and evil as the depths of hell. The shadows rose, flooding her, drowning her…

_Kikyou_—

She woke with a start.

Her breathing was harsh in her own ears at first, slowing gradually from the rapid gasps of her dreams to a regular, slower rate. Around her, the stone walls of the labyrinth were silent, still…dead.

Her unfocused gaze roamed her surroundings, disoriented, before coming to rest on a familiar shape. Roughly eight feet away from her, a red-clothed back was visible, the blood-like colour partly obscured by a curtain of long white hair. Inuyasha sat, facing the open passages leading away from the corner that they had chosen as a resting-place for the night. From his rigid posture, she was unable to tell whether he slept or not; the hanyou never seemed to relax, even in sleep.

The dark-haired girl got to her feet slowly, now beginning to feel the fresh batch of aches that only sleeping on a solid stone floor could bring. A white ear flicked in her direction, the only sign that her companion recognized her presence.

She took a breath, steeling herself for what was to come. Even if he _was_ awake, she didn't think his first reaction to her voice would be a cheery "good morning!"

"Good—"

"It isn't morning, wench. You slept two hours more than normal; we've got to get moving if we expect to get anywhere."

She sighed. Whoever said getting to know a half demon better would bring added benefits?

Stretching out her back and legs, especially, she straightened her ruined skirts before hefting the all-too-light pack. He still didn't face her directly, so she addressed the back of his head. "I am ready."

Wordlessly, he got to his feet and began to move swiftly down the left-hand passage, making her jog to keep up. Life as usual, for the last week…she supposed. With no way of knowing whether it was night or day, their passage had blurred into a regular cycle of sleeping, travelling, few and infrequent drinks from the flask, and meals of whatever Inuyasha managed to catch.

_"If I ever get out of here, the first thing I am going to do before finding Sango is find an inn and eat as much greasy, indiscernible, _cooked_ food as I can."_

The thought was enough to make her mouth water, and she cast a slightly guilty look at the hanyou. He was doing his best…and could probably tell from a mile away the direction that her thoughts were travelling. If he did notice, however, she was unable to see; he still kept ahead of her, his face turned away.

Now that she thought about it, he hadn't given her so much as a look since she had woken up…actually, almost since they had found the Firerat robe two cycles ago. She frowned; it appeared that he had something on his mind…something serious.

Her eyes turned towards him once again, taking in the rigid set of his body and his fast, efficient stride. She sighed once again; this time, the sound was almost imperceptible and slightly sad.

It appeared that trust would never be something that he would give her willingly…no matter how much she wished the opposite to be true.

However, she couldn't blame him. After all, she _was_ keeping something from him…and if he were to trust her now, she would feel even worse than she did now. It made her stomach twist to deceive him…but so much depended on the lie.

Much more than she was willing to sacrifice…no matter what her own personal feelings were.

* * *

He had dreamed again.

Inuyasha gave a silent thanks to whatever higher force was usually held responsible for such things (not that he trusted the gods to listen). The girl hadn't pried yet, though she was probably suspicious by now. There was only so long that he could go without looking at her…without feeling the twisting in his gut. What it was, he couldn't even guess. Regret? Anger? Hatred?

None of those words described what he felt, leaving him confused and irritable. All he knew was that something had changed between them, and he was unable to change it back. He almost felt panic welling up inside; how could he know how to treat the girl, which mask to put on, if he didn't know where he stood with her? For the first time in a long time, he was vulnerable.

The feeling was only describable as a wrenching of his stomach…something he had only felt ten years ago. However, at that time, it had been different…more pleasant. He hadn't tasted a bitter sense of shame and betrayal then…Kikyou's image, while a source of guilt due to her miko status, had been mostly a good thing.

The hanyou resisted the urge to huff in self-disgust. He _knew_ he should have let the girl die when he had the chance…but who was he kidding? He needed her to find the Shikon no Tama.

He was completely and totally stuck with her.

What annoyed him to the fullest, nagging at his senses, was that he was beginning not to mind as much as he should have. As long as she wasn't nosy and annoying, he actually didn't find her presence nauseating…which was almost enough for him to wish she _would_ say something bothersome, just so that he could go back to disliking her in peace.

Finding Gyuou and his old haori had dredged up old memories that had been comfortably buried under a layer of numbness. It had all seemed so long ago…faded, almost, like an ancient woodprint. Finding that skeleton made it _real_ again. Since then…since _Kikyou_…he had no real memories. Only flashes of images that he would rather forget altogether.

The dreams followed him into wakefulness, walking next to him, behind him…before him, blocking the way. Shadows of faceless humans, youkai…he could feel their hands reaching out to him, stained crimson with blood…

…Blood that stained his claws.

"Inuyasha…"

His head jerked up, turning towards the girl before he could stop himself. The pent-up frustration from the last two days was building up, and he was eager to let it loose…let it go on someone before it tore him apart.

All thoughts of ripping into her for no reason disappeared when he met her stormy grey eyes with his own. He saw concern reflected there…something which made him feel unexplainably angry and guilty at the same time. His stomach jolted uncomfortably again, and he was forced to tear his gaze away and turn his back on her once more before replying gruffly.

"What is it, wench?"

He heard her give a small huff of indignation at his choice of names, and he felt a strange relief in the fact that he could still make her angry with something as simple as an insult.

"How much longer until we reach the exit?"

Her question distressed him, for some strange reason. He dismissed the feeling as confused elation over being close to finally being at the end of his side of their bargain, and opted for anger in replying. "We'll get there when we damn well get there! Plus, in case you haven't noticed, there isn't a real reliable way of telling time in here," he finished with a muttered, "stupid bitch…" for good measure.

The girl (he refused to use her name if he could help it) just shook her head at his answer, and he felt slightly robbed of her reaction. The feeling quickly faded, however, as he went back to his previous hobby: moving at a speed that forced her to jog in order to keep up.

In his preoccupation, he didn't notice that she had managed to make the shadows disappear, caused him to forget his brooding thoughts…if only until the next time he dreamed.

* * *

Kagome's legs were beginning to feel numb by the time that the hanyou finally deigned to slow down. To her companion's surprise (and slight disappointment), however, she made no complaints. Any thoughts that he might giving her a break were banished, however, when she noticed the intense look of concentration on his face.

The bottom seemed to drop right out of her stomach. Inuyasha generally treated most of the labyrinth with an attitude that suggested that it posed as no real challenge for him. Most of the times he'd shown any kind of concern up till now had been due to her fragility as a human (as well as his absolute _need_ to rub his physical superiority in her face at every possible moment). The feeling that she was getting from the hanyou now was disconcerting; he looked generally perturbed.

"This section…" he said, speaking in answer to her unvoiced question, "…I've never seen it before, and I don't like it."

She fought down shock at the fact that he was actually telling her something of his own free will. "What do you mean," she asked him quietly, "Is there something different about it?"

The look he gave her was searching, and gave her the urge to cover herself overtop of her clothing. Somehow, she felt exposed under those amber eyes and the fire that they held.

"…Yeah," he answered finally, "Can't you feel it? The place reeks of youki."

Kagome blinked, taken aback. Now that he mentioned it, she could feel a slightly oppressive quality in the air, almost like an invisible something was pushing down on her. However, if he hadn't said anything, she wouldn't have noticed…not immediately, anyway.

Beside her, the hanyou's body was taut like a coiled spring, a low growl emanating from his chest. His ears swivelled rapidly, twitching every now and then, surveying the area. The girl waited for him to act, hands clasped at her chest, her face in its own expression of apprehension.

Finally, he seemed satisfied that there was no immediate danger, though his body showed no signs of relaxing as he motioned her forward. "Just be quiet, bitch, and keep your eyes open," he growled.

She didn't even bother to frown at his choice of words, too preoccupied with trying to move normally while under the influence of his unease. If he, a hanyou, was worried, what chance did she stand?

The two continued onward, not noticing the slight glow of purple energy that faintly throbbed in the walls.

They also didn't notice the shadow that detached itself from the stones, lifting itself to stand alone in their wake.

Several moments passed with no sound other than their footsteps on stone, and the short hissing of their breaths through the still air. Kagome walked roughly two steps behind Inuyasha; tense, straight-backed, eyes roaming the passage apprehensively. The hanyou hadn't relaxed in the least, and his tension fuelled her own uneasiness.

Suddenly, her companion stopped, his body stiffening completely as he sniffed the air. She looked at him, barely daring to speak. "What is it…?" she finally whispered, mentally shivering in mortification at the way that her words seemed to echo through the passage regardless.

"It's getting stronger…" Inuyasha answered, the words almost incomprehensible through the growl that underlined his words.

The girl turned her gaze completely on him. "What—"

Her words were cut off by an eerie rustling sound, made all the more noticeable by the stillness of the air. Through it, Kagome swore she heard a low moan; the sound of someone in torment.

She whirled back to face her companion when, next to her, Inuyasha suddenly gripped at his head in agony, his claws leaving red welts where they pressed against his skin. Desperately, he seemed to be trying to keep his head from splitting apart, and the girl watched in shock as he collapsed to his knees. He was shaking, white hair spilling down to cover his pained visage. However, though she could almost hear whimpers of pain escaping his usual iron self-control, the rustling was definitely not coming from her companion, and definitely getting louder.

Her eyes widened in horror as her gaze moved past the hanyou to the edges of the corridor. From the walls, out of the pools of shadow made by the torches, black masses detached themselves from the darkness into individual shapes. Dozens of the figures moved, water-like, to seep into the centre of the two companions' path.

The girl turned, seeking a way out, only to see their escape route blocked by dozens more of the strange shadow things. They were trapped.

"Inuyasha—" she began, then stopped, eyes widening as she noticed the hanyou's reaction to the figures for the first time.

All traces of the previous agony seemed to have disappeared. Instead, he stood, arms by his sides, head lowered in an air of defeat. His snowy-white bangs shadowed his usually expressive eyes, altogether adding to the air of dark emptiness that seemed to have descended upon him. The arrogance was gone, as was the usual confidence…in fact, all his emotion seemed to have disappeared completely.

The shadows seemed to solidify somewhat as she cast a glance back at them. They could now be identified as humanoid shapes…humans, youkai, men, women…

_Children._

The rustling was louder now, as were the moans. Kagome looked around frantically, searching the approaching mass of shadows for an opening, a gap…anything that would allow them the space to run. Counting on the hanyou to get them out of danger this time didn't seem to be an option.

There. To the left…a gap in the shadows around one of the torches. The girl's eyes widened slightly as she took in the opportunity, the only warning she gave before seizing her companion's sleeve and dashing for the opening.

Inuyasha complied wordlessly, almost like a puppet. He didn't argue, or take charge, but let her lead him forward, the only sign of life or consciousness being the automatic movement of his feet. In many ways, his wordless cooperation was more frightening than the darkness that faced them.

They barely made it through the gap, narrowly avoiding the shadow-things on either side. Upon reaching the other side, Kagome didn't stop, but continued down the passage at top speed, tightening her hold on the hanyou's haori. Unable to defend herself, the girl recognized the only course of action available: running.

Not that the shadows seemed to pursue the two with any sense of urgency, however. Instead, more and more seemed to spring out of the stones on either side of the fleeing duo, leaking out of the darkness to stand in their path. Kagome dodged their outstretched arms as best she could, an action made no easier by the added mass of her hanyou companion. He, himself, did nothing to avoid the black tendrils, allowing them to snag and tear at his haori without reaction. His feet merely followed where Kagome led, the only indication that he lived.

Ahead, the passage twisted and turned sharply, adding the peril of unexpected corners to their flight. From out of the walls, the shadow hands grasped at them from every turn; ensnaring, scratching, clawing, pulling them down…

The girl hissed in pain as she was tugged back by her hair, moisture coming to her eyes as she desperately struggled, one-handed, to untangle herself from the shadow that held her prisoner. Panic began to well up within her when the strands remained snared in the shadow, refusing to come loose. In frenzied haste, she tore free, the adrenaline overpowering the pain, as she broke into a run again, leaving several long, raven locks behind.

The dash continued, not slowing for the twists, or the shadows, or the other passages that branched periodically out from the one they followed. They were becoming less frequent, the girl's frantic mind noted half-consciously. First and foremost was getting away from the shadows…

An escape halted by a solid wall.

The Runner barely managed to stop before running headlong into the stones, though she wasn't so lucky in keeping the hanyou from barrelling into her, his weight crushing her uncomfortably against the unyielding mass of the wall before the two of them fell to the ground. Torn between trying to breathe and touching a careful hand to her ribs, she managed to take in the situation before letting out a small moan.

She had run them into a dead end.

Turning back was not an option. Already, the labyrinth passage that they had just run through was turning black with the multiplying shadows…figures of youkai and humans of every variety and size. None attacked the duo directly, but advanced on them with at a slow, almost stately pace, oozing forward in a mass of tangled darkness, moans, hisses, and cries.

Kagome couldn't decide which was worse.

Next to her, the hanyou spoke for the first time since the shadows had appeared, his voice so low that the sound was almost lost amongst the restless cacophony of the approaching host.

"…Blood…"

The dark-haired girl turned her head sharply to look at her companion, her eyes noting the way that his eyes were still obscured by his snow-coloured bangs. However, instead of looking at the floor listlessly, his gaze was focused on his hands, upturned in his lap.

Again he spoke, and she saw, despite her fear and panicked state, that he was shaking as he looked at his claws and saw what wasn't there.

"…So much blood…"

The moment of sympathy that flashed through Kagome for her companion was cut off by sudden movement from the host approaching; almost faster than the eye could follow, the front row of shadows lunged, heading straight for the runner.

The girl didn't even have time to react, watching the red specks that seemed to fly everywhere as if in a dream. Belatedly, the pain came to her, spreading across her chest diagonally in a wave of sharp fire; she looked down to see a slash of crimson staining her dress, not quite taking in the fact that it the blood was hers.

The shadow retreated, joining the mass of darkness before the two companions. Around it, the others seemed to tense, preparing to attack. Kagome closed her eyes, breathing in the hopeless feeling of inevitability. She had tried everything in her power…

She and Inuyasha were going to die.

And for some odd reason, the second part of that thought really bothered her, making her helplessness even worse to bear.

* * *

_Blood._

He could see it, dripping from his claws onto the stones below, scarlet on grey. Running down his fingers, staining his skin crimson, the liquid seemed to have no end. He could feel it, see it…

His eyes widened as he came to the realization, sudden as a thunderbolt.

He couldn't smell it.

The blood on his claws had no scent…it wasn't real. Not anymore.

The hanyou blinked, amber eyes snapping to attention, focusing so sharply on reality that it was almost painful. The shadows that had permeated his dreams were still there, but looked much less solid than they had; he almost snorted at his own lack of recognition. That was when he smelled it again, unmistakeable, with a metallic scent that was almost a taste. And it was fresh…

He looked down at his hands this time, and saw that he hadn't been completely mistaken. There was blood there, but not in the quantity of the nightmare. Not only that, it was clear that he hadn't been responsible for it, from the way it didn't originate from his claws but splattered from another direction…

A direction he turned his head to, only to see something that made the bottom of his stomach seem to drop to the floor.

Kagome was lying against the wall, eyes closed, with a dark crimson stain spreading slowly across her cloth of her dress. Her body was slack, almost relaxed, against the stones; in his ears, he didn't register the faint sound of her heartbeat.

"Shit!"

The hanyou felt the beginnings of panic well up inside of him. The wench couldn't die…he still needed the Shikon no Tama! And, as much as his conscious mind fought the fact, he'd miss the arguing, the teasing, the companionship…well, maybe the teasing her, anyway. He actually found it fun to make her angry…

His attention turned sharply away from the girl at his side to the host apparent, moments before they attacked. By then, however, he was ready; there was no way he was going to let those pathetic shadows win. Not after having damaged his Shikon no Tama detector!

A deep growl was the only warning he gave before he was among the shadows, claws tearing everywhere at once, shearing them down like a scythe through grain. They were helpless before his fury, seeming not to move as he sliced through their ranks as the demon he was. Clearly, they were nothing resembling living creatures: they made no attempts to save themselves, but stood before him and were cut down by the deadly blood-tainted claws.

The battle, if it could even be called that, was over in what felt like no time to the hanyou. Around him, the shadows lay on the floor stones as if dead, hundreds upon hundreds of shapes filling the passage like a sea of darkness. Then they were gone, melting into the ground like the dream they were, leaving no trace of their passing, confirming for the final time that they were nothing but figments of a troubled mind.

'My mind,' the hanyou admitted to himself, wincing slightly.

A sound caught his attention, and he turned back towards Kagome, only to see the girl he had thought on the brink of death moments before open her eyes. He was more astounded still when she stood up easily, wincing only slightly as the movement agitated the wound across her chest. "Inuyasha?" she asked, slight confusion colouring her voice as she turned her large grey-blue eyes on him, causing an uncomfortable jolt to pass through his stomach once again.

The hanyou found himself caught suddenly in a tangle of emotions before settling on the safest: anger.

"Stupid WENCH! Where do you get off making me think you were fucking DEAD?" he hissed at her, amber eyes blazing to their full fury.

"Uhh…" was his companion's oh-so-intelligent answer.

"—and making me worry about you…WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!?" the youth continued, feeling the all-cleansing feeling of righteous anger flow through him. However, his partner (thought he had no idea when he had begun to think of her as such) had no intentions of letting him walk all over her.

"What was _I_ thinking!?" she countered, blazing to life under his tirade, "What were _you_ thinking!? I was just trying to keep up alive, since you decided to turn into a catatonic mute at precisely the opportune moment! We could have died!"

"Keh. As if I'd let that happen…" the hanyou replied, much more quietly than before. He was folding in front of her again…dammit.

"The fact is that is almost _did_ happen!" the girl spat, before going to sit down once again. Her anger mostly spent, she began to viciously tear at the near-ruined hem of her dress (what remained, anyway), trying to cut a piece long enough to bind the new wound. It seemed impossible to stay mostly clothed in this place…

"…and don't you DARE peek!" she hissed at her companion, turning to face the wall before beginning to remove the cloth that was presently hiding the damage.

"Peek?—" the hanyou repeated almost intelligibly, before recognition dawned and he spun around to face the other way, the beginnings of a blush burning on his cheeks. "Stupid bitch…" he huffed quietly to himself, trying to squash out his embarrassment with annoyance, though the blush remained.

A few minutes later, Kagome turned around to face him once more. "Done!" she announced to the hanyou's back.

Inuyasha turned back with a grunt, trying violently to ignore the way that her skirt had shortened enough for him to see more of her bare legs. "Finally, wench!" he stated, "You led us at least five passages off where we're supposed to be."

The girl rolled her eyes. "And we are still alive because of it. Luckily the cut was shallow, or I definitely would _not_ be walking now. Speaking of which…what were those things?"

The hanyou stiffened, turning away from the girl's questioning gaze, and Kagome's eyes narrowed. 'Straight back, tense shoulders, avoiding eye contact…this has something to do with him personally,' she processed mentally, only half realizing that she was beginning to understand her companion's body language as plainly as spoken words, 'Crap!'

"Keh."

Unfortunately for Inuyasha, the Runner had had quite enough and wasn't going to stand for his obscure answers anymore. With a fury and speed that both shocked and awed him, she spun the unsuspecting hanyou around and seized him by the dragon tails on either side of his face, drawing his eyes down violently to meet her own. "Don't you DARE give me that!" she seethed, boring into his surprised amber eyes with her own furious grey ones, "I think you owe me an explanation after all this! I am sick of you giving me these cryptic answers and hiding things from me until I either find out about them on my own or they come back to KILL us!"

It took the hanyou a moment to shake himself out of the shocked silence that her wrath had instilled, but when he did reply, his voice was an explosion of furious frustration. "Fine, bitch! If you REALLY want to know so badly, I'll fucking TELL you!"

She would never forget the hellfire in his eyes, or the shadow of pain in his voice as he spoke. "When a youkai kills someone in here, a piece of that person's soul gets trapped inside them! After a while, it's enough to make anyone go insane! So all those shadows back there are pieces of the people I've killed!"

Kagome was taken aback, her anger forgotten, but the inu-hanyou continued his ranting regardless.

"You think I LIKE remembering all that!? You think I ENJOY knowing that I could lose it at any minute!? That I actually find some kind of weird pleasure in feeling like my head's tearing apart whenever those bits of other people's personalities decide to make things hard for me!? But _nooooo_, the curious little wench can't _possibly_ leave well enough alone; it never enters your head that I might actually LIKE not thinking and 'talking' about all this shit!"

There was a long silence, the air filled by the girl's sudden discomfort and Inuyasha's near-tangible anger. Neither one moved for what seemed like an eternity.

Then Inuyasha turned away suddenly, crossing his arms over his chest. He was angry, frustrated, relieved…he didn't know _what_ he felt at that moment, and that in itself made him livid. He didn't like not knowing his own mind; that seemed to happen a lot around Kagome…

_'-The bitch,'_ he corrected automatically. He couldn't afford to get attached in any way. Not with his dream of full-demon blood at stake; he couldn't allow himself to get distracted by anything as human as feeling or emotion this time around.

With the anger at both the girl and himself coursing through his veins, it was easier to block out everything else…so much so that he didn't hear his companion speak at first.

"—ry."

His back remained turned, though a twinge of curiosity managed to worm its way through the haze of anger that clouded his mind. He wouldn't deign to ask her to repeat her words, however…to do so felt like giving in, offering forgiveness.

The words came again, slightly muttered.

"Sorry."

He remained motionless and silent. He couldn't erase his anger so easily, couldn't forgive her for making him voice part of what haunted his dreams to someone who had no business prying into his private concerns, his fears.

_'But you didn't have to tell her,'_ a part of his mind whispered, an admission in which he found little solace. He had just given possibly vital information to someone he didn't completely trust…a mistake which just might prove fatal if the girl ever had cause to betray him.

However, what made him angriest of all was that the statement wasn't exactly true. He _did_ trust the girl, if only partially…something that he had sworn to himself never to do again.

Several minutes passed, in which he could almost feel her eyes fixed on his rigid back. And as the initial haze of rage began to fade, it made him feel uncomfortable. Dammit, couldn't she stare at something else? He still couldn't decide whether to change the subject or reply her apology. So he did neither.

"Keh."

He almost jumped out of his skin when he felt a hand come to rest on his shoulder. 'Why the hell didn't I hear her move?'

Kagome's voice came again, this time from close behind his shoulder blade. "Look, Inuyasha, I _am_ really sorry. I had no way of knowing that it was such a delicate subject for you…you have to understand that up till now, you have kept everything to yourself until the last possible moment. Honestly, I thought that this was something like the warnings for the traps, otherwise I would not have pried."

The hanyou fought the urge to snort, though he did favour her by turning his head back to look at her. "Yeah…right. Face it, you're a nosy wench."

He was surprised to find that the statement didn't carry quite the derision he had intended, instead sounding more like he was teasing her. To his further mortification, she didn't get angry, but gave him a small smile. Shit…how was he supposed to keep her away if she thought he was _joking_?

"How about we make a deal?" she suggested, stepping around to face him directly, "You tell me about anything that affects us directly, here, before it becomes a major threat, and I will keep from prying into your past and personal affairs. Does that sound fair?"

Inuyasha crossed his arms and turned his head away, avoiding having to look at her directly. He never really could think clearly when he felt like he was under scrutiny. On the one hand, she would stop poking her nose into his private matters, which he definitely wanted. On the other, however, he would actually have to waste time explaining exactly _why_ they could possibly die every time they encountered something dangerous…which happened more often than she probably knew. Until now, she had had it pretty easy for a Runner, seeing as most of the small-fry were discouraged from acting by his presence. Then again, she mentioned that it would only apply for the things that directly affected them, which would mean only the visible obstacles…

He sighed. It looked like he only really had one choice if he wanted any semblance of peace and solitude.

"Fine. Now let's get moving so that we can make up for all that distance we lost due to your little 'detour'," he replied, turning back to face the correct passage.

Once they were moving again, Kagome trotting to keep up with his ground-eating stride, the hanyou allowed himself to focus his thoughts on something that had been nagging at him, though the argument and his tangled emotions had pushed it to the back of his mind. Now he brought it to the forefront, puzzling over what it could mean.

Technically, the shadow-figures were bits of souls, shards of guilt, and pieces of bitterness solidified by magic when you came down to it. His claws shouldn't have had the kind of effect that they had. The only way to destroy constructs like they had been was through blessed weapons of magic, as far as he knew. He had neither.

So why had he been able to destroy them? In his anger, he had attacked blindly, unthinkingly. After the first was down, he had continued to decimate the entire mass without realizing exactly what he was doing, or what it meant.

Even now, that was the biggest question: what _did_ it mean?

He glanced down at his hands, troubled. He didn't—

That's when he noticed the blood, now drying, that still tainted his claws. His eyes narrowed, as a thought came to him. It couldn't be…could it?

Lifting his right hand carefully towards his face, so that his companion might not notice, he cautiously sniffed. Then sniffed again…

…And let the appendage drop abruptly, almost as if it had stung his nose. Amidst the disconcerting scent of Kagome's blood, he could identify the singular and unforgettable tang of magic. But not the slight trace of the Shikon no Tama as he already knew. In her veins ran genuine miko blood. Nowhere near as strong as Kikyou's had been, but by no means weak.

Not quite like any he had encountered, either, though he didn't pretend to be an expert on the subject. He had only met two miko before Kikyou, and both had been old. For all he knew, age could affect things, though there had to be a reason why he couldn't smell any magic on Kagome except when he could smell her blood. Even now, if he closed his eyes and tried to sense his companion a few paces behind, he didn't register anything that suggested she was anything other than fully human and magic-less.

He fought the urge to sigh with exasperation. Why did the wench end up troubling him even when she didn't do or say anything? How did she find a way of lodging herself in his thoughts without even trying to?

Two more mysteries to add to the lengthening list. And here he thought he might actually get a little peace within his own mind now that a few of the truly haunting memories were gone. Keh.

Which, or course, led to irritation and stubborn pride. As if he was going to let her win…it was _his_ mind, dammit! Well, he'd show her…he just wouldn't think about her, or anything relating to her, or any of the annoying reactions she evoked in him. Nothing easier, really…he would just focus on his own problems, and that was that. He had enough of them to keep him occupied for a _long_ time.

Needless to say, it took him a long time to fall asleep at that cycle-end.

* * *

Yayness! That's chapter nine out of the way! (-grins-) Hopefully things will go a little more smoothly from this point on, though I make no promises about updates, as usual. I'm still trying to figure out the overall plot here, actually…it's amazing that the story's made it this far. Originally, all I had was a skeleton of an idea, as well as a scene from a much later point in the story to write on, so it's somewhat strange for me to see how things have progressed from there. In any case, I have a general idea of where things are going and whatnot, but you'll have to be patient with me as I figure out the details.

Music that influenced this chapter…wow…there's been quite a lot of it. Since I started writing it back almost a year ago now, a ton of different things found their way into my CD player. For those that don't care, as always, you know the drill: scroll down, covering your eyes and going "lalalalalalala…".

Most notable influences, I suppose, are:

All the Metallica albums in my collection, which now includes everything but Load and Re-load. Songs of note would be "Dyer's Eve", "Blackened", "Harvester of Sorrows", and "The Frayed Ends of Sanity" off of the "…And Justice For All" album…as well as just about everything off of "The Black Album" and "The Four Horsemen", "Whiplash", and "Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth)" off of "Kill 'Em All". Not that the others weren't listened to, you understand…just these are the newest ones, and so haven't been played as much yet. (-grins-)

System of a Down's "Toxicity" album, especially "Deer Dance", "ATWA", "Chop Suey", "Aerials", and "Prison Song". Also, "Peephole" and "P.L.U.C.K" from their self-titled debut album.

"Sober", "Undertow", "Intolerance", "Prison Sex", and "Bottom" off of Tool's wonderful "Undertow" album. Also, "Schism", "Lateralus", and "The Grudge" off of "Lateralus" have been in heavy rotation lately. Finally, "Eulogy" and "Stink Fist" from their "Anemia" album, Eulogy being probably my favourite Tool song after "Sober".

Finally, I'll cut this short by mentioning Nirvana in general. All of their albums currently in my possession (everything but "From the Muddy Banks of the Wiskah" and "Unplugged in New York") have been a huge part of my life since I last updated. I would probably spend the next three paragraphs proclaiming the praises of the band, but I know you guys have probably heard it all before, and aren't here to hear me ramble. I'll save that for some other day. (-sweatdrops-)

Well, that's everything for now! (-grins-) Hopefully it won't take me so long to update next time, though I make no promises. As always, C&C welcome! It keeps me on track, and tells me what I'm screwing up royally, as well as what I'm doing right.

Next chapter: Chapter 10 – "The Fourth Gate"

Ja ne!

--_Jurei_


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